Evie's Diary
by SerenBex
Summary: What it says on the tin :D
1. Dear Evie

_**OK... I just can't stop.**_

_**And I don't really want to.**_

_**I am officially dedicating this to ALL of you who wanted more. x**_

_**Disclaimer - I don't own Doctor Who. Sadly. But I do own Evie Song. She is MINE. :D**_

_**I really hope you enjoy this... it's different from the rest, but hopefully you're gonna like it! x**_

* * *

><p>Dear Evie,<p>

Happy 12th Birthday.

I couldn't decide what to get you this year – what do you give the girl who's already got three laser blasters, a hologram filter and a TARDIS at her disposal.

And no, you are **not** having a hallucinogenic lipstick.

So then I thought about that little stunt you pulled the other week - hijacking the TARDIS and leaving the Doctor and me stranded on Phentoon. Yes, I know you say it wasn't your fault and that the TARDIS just took you, but the Doctor is still furious. I think it's the thought that you successfully managed to fly his beloved little blue box without him more than anything else. That's the part of the whole situation that I'm _NOT_ angry about!

Anyway after that, even _I_ realised that you're growing up and I won't always be around on your adventures.

So I decided to get you a diary.

It's exactly like mine, but it's going to be all about you.

Use it well. And remember to write in it, child! I know what you're like!

All my love, sweetie.

Mum x


	2. Computers and Guillotines 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Computers and Guillotines**

Age: 19

Location: Paris, France, Earth

Date: July 27th 1794

* * *

><p>The Doctor had been trying to take us to the Hendeban Peninsular on the Second Star of Theen, but he'd got his coordinates wrong and brought us somewhere else entirely. I pulled a face, staring at the scanner display which told me everything I needed to know. According to the coordinates displayed on the screen, it was 1794 and he had taken us to Revolutionary France and the TARDIS had landed slap bang in the middle of Paris.<p>

"Ahh…" The Time Lord said, screwing up his face as he poked his head out through the police box doors and realised that he wasn't where he'd expected to be. As usual, he had shunned the usual atmosphere checks and launched himself straight out as soon as the time machine had touched down. "I think we've gone a little wrong."

"Really?" Mum asked him sarcastically, raising an eyebrow and shaking her head.

"Well we're obviously not staying here?" Rory said worriedly. His tone suggested that he wasn't sure that that would be the case.

"Why not?" The Doctor asked, retreating back inside and looking confused.

Rory looked as though his friend was mad. "Maybe because there are crazy French people running around cutting people's heads off? Amy and I have been married for less than four months! I'd really like to make it to at least five."

Amy laughed and threw her arms around his neck. "Lighten up, Rory. We haven't died yet, have we?"

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Why have you written Amy and Rory?" River asked, leaning over her shoulder and reading what she was writing, arching an eyebrow. "Why haven't you written Gran and Gramps?"<strong>_

"_**I dunno… I find it really weird calling them Gran and Gramps when they're only a couple of years older than me… I'm gonna call them Amy and Rory until they're at least forty!" Evie said with a shrug. River laughed. "Now go away and let me finish this!"**_

* * *

><p>"Umm… hello?" Rory replied pulling a face and waving slightly, reminding her that in fact yes, he had died and that he'd also been erased from existence for a while.<p>

While they'd been talking, the Doctor, Mum and I had been moving around the TARDIS, getting ready for our next adventure. I had learnt long ago that if we ended up somewhere way off target, the Doctor would claim that there was obviously a reason why we'd ended up there. And therefore Rory's wish of leaving before anything bad could happen wasn't going to come true. The Doctor can never resist an adventure.

We left the TARDIS while they were still talking, leaving them to realise what had happened while we took in the scene in front of us. The last time I had been to Paris it had been in the twenty-first century… this was something completely different. Amy obviously realised what had happened first and dragged her husband, still complaining, through the doors.

With the Doctor in charge, apparently, we headed through the streets of Paris. He took immense pleasure in pointing out landmarks, as though none of us had ever seen them before. Well, I suppose we hadn't seen them looking as new as they did before, but they were basically the same.

"There's the Champ de Mars and the École Militaire." He announce, reminding me of a tour guide. If only he'd been waving a huge umbrella around the look would have been complete. "Did you know that the world's first hydrogen-filled balloon was launched from here on August 27, 1783?"

I rolled my eyes and stifled a yawn. I would have muttered 'boring' as well, but Mum elbowed me in the ribs so I didn't bother.

"That's lovely." Amy said, looking as though she agreed with me. "But where's the Eiffel Tower? That's what I wanna see!"

"We'll have to come back in about 95 years." I told her with a grin. "It wasn't built until 1889."

She looked disappointed. "Really? So we're here, risking getting our heads chopped off and we can't even go and see the Eiffel Tower? What about… the Moulin Rouge?"

"1889 as well." Mum said with a shrug. "Sorry, you're stuck with risking getting your head chopped off."

The Doctor was obviously getting impatient with all the talking, because he cleared his throat and pulled an 'I'm not impressed' face. I don't know whether it was because of this, or whether it was the sound of marching feet, that caught our attention, but we were all suddenly more than happy to listen to what he wanted to say.

Apparently the main problem was that we stuck out too much. In a time when anyone who seemed the slightest bit un-peasanty became a target, the Doctor decided that we needed to find ourselves some disguises. He, obviously, had no intention of dressing up in sackcloth, or whatever we'd been given to wear. Instead he just laughed at us until I punched him.

Despite the fact that the revolution was supposed to liberate the working classes and reduce the gap between them and the upper classes, I was shocked to see the poverty that greeted us as we walked through the streets of the French capital.

"Bonjour." Rory said politely to an old woman, sitting in a rocking chair in the doorway of a dirty looking shack. She looked at us suspiciously, especially the Doctor in his tweed jacket, bowtie and braces.

"I don't speak English." She announced at last.

"Neither do we." The Doctor lied, easily. "He just likes to pretend sometimes. He had a blow to the head when he was a child."

Rory looked offended, but Mum dragged him away before he could say anything else. "What?"

"TARDIS translation matrix…" She explained quietly. "That's how we understand what they're saying. When we try and speak another language it's flipped back to English."

"This is all lovely." I said, directing my remarks towards the Doctor. "But what are we doing here?"

"A bit of historical sightseeing?" The Doctor said calmly. "Do you know what happens this afternoon?"

"No." Rory said sharply, still annoyed at the man insinuating he was simple.

Smiling smugly, happy that he had an opportunity to prove how clever he was, the Doctor stopped and pointed towards the gallows placed in the middle of a large square. "Today is July 27th 1794… today is when the Thermidorian Reaction happens."

Mum gasped, but Amy, Rory and I just looked blankly at him.

"What's the Thermadore Reaction?" Amy asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously.

"Not Thermadore; Thermidorian." The Time Lord clarified. "It's the end of the Reign of Terror in France. Later on today, Robespierre – the main man – will be executed. He has a date with Madam Guillotine."

"You want to stick around and watch a French guy getting his head cut off?" Rory asked in an accusing tone, looking as though he couldn't quite believe it.

The Doctor just shrugged and nodded, brushing off the accusatory tone. "It's of historical importance… I'm not just being morbid."

"Whatever…" I muttered. "You just love the gore, don't you?" He just winked and strode off towards the guillotine to examine it more closely.

x-x

"And this…" The Time Lord said excitedly. "Is the headquarters of the revolution leaders!"

"And they're not gonna care that we're just standing here staring at them?" Rory asked, raising an eyebrow unconvinced.

"Course not… Oh…" The Doctor stopped suddenly, spotting something interesting on the wall in front of them. He moved closer, running his hands over the bricks and pressing his ear against it, as though he was listening to it. "What's this?"

Mum pulled out her computer device and held it against the wall, watching the readings curiously. Over her shoulder I saw the lines spiking and dipping violently. The energy readings were wildly out of the normal range. Something alien was definitely present.

"I can't get a fix on what kind of device or creature we're dealing with, Doctor." Mum said in a hushed voice, not moving her gaze from the device. "There seems to be some kind of temporal cloaking device masking the signals. But it's not strong enough to block the energy spikes. Look…"

The Doctor and I both crowded round her to take a look at the screen. He sighed, but then turned to us with a broad grin.

"I knew the TARDIS brought us here for a reason." He exclaimed happily, proving my earlier thought correct.

This realisation annoyed me immensely. "So, genius, what's the plan." I snapped.

"I don't know." The Doctor said slowly, returning his gaze to the wall. As far as I was concerned it was a perfectly ordinary wall, but the Doctor didn't seem to agree. He was examining it closely, running his hands over the brickwork slowly. "But we need to get to the other side of this wall."

"I've got the Sqaureness gun in the TARDIS." Mum said casually. The Doctor glanced at her, shooting her an intensely annoyed look.

"No… I don't think we'll need that."

Mum shrugged. "Suit yourself."


	3. Computers and Guillotines 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Computers and Guillotines**

The Doctor's plan turned out to involve just wandering into the building, flashing the psychic paper and making his way to the general direction of the wall he'd just been examining. Mum and I were less than impressed with it, but Amy and Rory seemed nervous; convinced that we'd been caught and end up meeting the guillotine. Strangely, though, no one seemed to bat an eyelid at our presence as we wandered through the hallways in the vague direction the Doctor was heading.

For the headquarters of an anti-upper class revolution it was incredibly lavishly furnished. Paintings hung on the richly decorated walls and expensive looking objects were dotted around; a carved and highly polished table to my right, a large vase to my left, an armless statue straight ahead. Amy and Rory seemed equally surprised by this, but Mum and the Doctor didn't seem to have noticed. They were completely focused on the task at hand.

"What do we do when we find whatever we're looking for?" Rory asked me in a low voice as we followed the Doctor blindly through a doorway and down a flight of stairs. I shrugged and sighed.

"Depends what we find. And if we know what it is. And what it is." I told him, evidently confusing him. He stared blankly back at me before shrugging.

"Are we gonna be in trouble?" Amy asked, looking as though she was hoping I would answer positively. I shrugged and nodded and she smiled. Her husband, however, looked far from happy. "Excellent."

"How is that good?" He demanded, raising his eyebrows.

"It's an adventure, Rory!" Amy replied exasperatedly. "Lighten up!"

I snorted with laughter, understanding now where Mum got her careless attitude to danger from. Well, some of it. The rest had probably come from experience.

We came to an abrupt halt. Mum had her device out again, holding it up against a closed wooden door. She and the Doctor were looking at the screen carefully, muttering quietly to each other. I tried to see what they were looking at with so much concern, but the screen was angled awkwardly and I couldn't make it out.

Before I could speak, the Doctor pulled out his sonic screwdriver and aimed it at the lock. The familiar high pitched noise sounded, before there was a sharp click and the lock popped open. He grasped the handle firmly and turned it, pushing the door open to reveal… something that none of us had expected to see.

In a small storage room in eighteenth century Paris was a large computer, pulsing with strange red, green and blue lights and emitting a low humming sound. Amy and Rory exchanged a glance and Mum stood rooted to the spot. As the Doctor took a few steps forwards, I moved with him, reaching out to lay my hand on the smooth metal of the technology.

"No!" The Doctor said, grabbing my wrist and pulling my hand back before I could lay so much as a finger on the computer. "Don't touch it."

"Why? It's just a computer." I said, frowning slightly at him.

"It might not be. Besides… what's a computer doing here?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. I had to admit that things were hardly ever as they seemed when the Doctor was around.

"Alright then…" I said slowly, moving around the computer and looking at it carefully. On the side was a plaque made of some strange, copper coloured metal with a purple sheen which was covered with strange looking symbols. The TARDIS should have translated them, but even as I stared they remained unreadable. "What's this…"

In an instant the Doctor was at my side, staring at the symbols carefully. "I've seen these before…" He muttered distractedly. "But where…"

Mum moved around to look at them too, holding up the device in front of the symbols, trying to make some kind of sense of them. The readings appeared to take a while to unscramble themselves before she spoke.

"This is Erudeon…" She said quietly. "It's not writing… it appears to be some kind of… code? A pattern maybe? That's why the TARDIS hasn't translated it. They aren't words."

The Doctor hit his forehead with the palm of his hand. "Of course! The Erudeonites."

"The who?" Amy asked, leaning forwards eagerly. I was just as interested, never having heard of the Erudeonites before.

"They're a race of people from the planet Adagneo in the Seventh Canson Cluster… just left of Belvore." He rambled. I sighed and tapped my foot impatiently, trying to indicate that I wasn't interested in where it was. "They're human-like, but they have bigger than average heads to house their large brains. Their main aim in life is to acquire knowledge."

"So…" I asked. "What are they doing here? With a giant super computer?"

"That's the bit I haven't figured out yet." He said slowly reaching out and laying a hand on the computer. There was a split second before the screen lit up and the pulsing lights seemed to grow stronger.

"What did you do?" Mum demanded, stepping back quickly and pulling me with her. I wondered why she was so scared.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>I wasn't scared!" River said, annoyed. <strong>_

"_**Why are you reading this over my shoulder?" Evie demanded. "If you're that interested you can read it when I'm done!"**_

"_**But you're writing stuff that isn't true! I wasn't scared!" **_

_**Evie sighed and crossed the sentence out. "Fine, happy now?"**_

"_**Yes, thanks." River said with a grin, moving away and leaving her daughter alone.**_

* * *

><p>"What did you do?" Mum demanded, stepping back quickly and pulling me with her. We both looked apprehensively at the workstation which had started emitting a loud whirring sound. "Someone is going to hear!"<p>

No sooner had the words escaped her mouth when the door behind us opened and we all whirled around, open mouthed. Two burly men stood on the other side of the door, their eyebrows furrowed angrily as they took in the sight of the five of us standing in front of the machine.

"Ah!" The Doctor said, slightly panicked, but doing his best to sound calm and authoritative. "We are from the… technological advances unit of the revolutionary unions committee." The four of us looked at him in bewilderment, wondering what he was going on about. The two men in the doorway looked similarly confused. "We need to examine the technology you have here before we can certify it as safe."

Glancing at each other, the two men walked into the room. Apparently they didn't believe a word of what the Doctor had said. Either that or they didn't care whether it was true or not.

"RUN!" The Doctor shouted, pushing the men aside and heading for the door. We piled out of the room and he slammed it behind us, locking it with the sonic screwdriver. It probably wouldn't hold them for long, but it would give us a head start.

With Mum in the lead, we raced through the hallways. Rory tripped over the edge of the rug and went flying, head first, into a table with an expensive looking vase balanced on top. It crashed to the ground, shattering into about a hundred tiny pieces. I grabbed Rory and hauled him to his feet quickly. There was no time to stop and worry about the damage as the familiar sound of running footsteps was approaching.

"Left!" Mum shouted, apparently following some kind of blueprint on her device. We sprinted round the corner and along a hallway. "Right!"

After a lot of running, we found ourselves in some kind of library. The Doctor slammed the doors and locked them, making sure no one would be able to get in. Then we looked around. Amy looked disappointed to be surrounded by books but Mum, who loved books of any description and libraries, seemed to be in her element. She wandered around, reading the titles on the shelves and pulling out a few to study more closely.

"Doctor…" She said, furrowing her eyebrows and turning to face him with a book clutched tightly in her hand. She glanced up from the cover her eyes meeting his. "This book…"

He took it and considered it for a moment, flipping it over to look at the back. "What about it?"

"Look at the publish date."

"2056." He muttered. "What's this doing here?"

"Obviously the same thing as that supercomputer." I said with a sigh, looking around. "What would a race of super intelligent, knowledge seeking aliens be doing here?"

"Oi, don't you start knocking humans." Rory said defensively.

"As if I would!" I replied, slightly offended, pointing at myself. "Hello, human."

"It's a good question though." The Doctor pointed out, his eyes glazing over slightly as he disappeared into his thoughts. "What would the Erudeonites want with revolutionary France."

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><p><strong><em>AN: Can I just say... I LOVE YOU GUYS. _**

**_Massive amounts of love to everyone who has already read, commented, favourited and subscribed. I mean, already? THANK YOU._**


	4. Computers and Guillotines 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Computers and Guillotines**

We spent a while in the library waiting for the Doctor to decide whether he knew what was going on or not. Mum and I, used to waiting around for him, collapsed into a couple of the well-stuffed arm chairs around the room with a book from the shelves.

I chose one about the history of Pelzar Eight, a planet with a long and distinguished military history. The weapons they used were like nothing I'd ever seen before and I was intrigued by the descriptions of their fighting techniques. Mum had chosen an archaeological book about the history Adagneo, the Erudeonites home planet. She was apparently finding it just as interesting as I was finding my book.

Rory and Amy were pacing, shooting the Doctor, Mum and I curious looks evidently wondering how we could be so calm at a time like this. After a while, Amy sighed and pulled a book off the shelf as well. Out of the corner of my eye I saw her flick through it, groan and push it back onto the shelf. She ran her finger along the spines of the books in front of her, before pulling a brightly coloured one out and settling down to read it.

"So? You got anything yet?" Rory demanded loudly. Mum, Amy and I all glanced up from our books, wondering whether or not the Doctor had figured things out.

"Well…"

"You've got nothing, have you." I asked with a sigh. Uncurling my legs, I returned the book to the shelf, ramming it between the other books.

"Well…"

"Doctor?" Mum said raising her eyebrows.

"OK… I haven't exactly worked it out yet." He admitted. "I need to get another look at that computer."

The rest of us sighed. If the Doctor wanted another look at the computer it meant that we had to go back to that room. Wordlessly we all prepared ourselves. Mum brought up the map on her device and we readied ourselves on the inside of the door. The Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at the lock and it clicked.

"Let's go." The Doctor muttered, opening the doors.

Cautiously, Mum led the way through the corridors. I vaguely recognised the route we'd taken on the way to the library, but I was too busy making sure we weren't about to be attacked to look properly.

A bleeping sound erupted from Mum's device, making us all jump. She immediately whirled around, pulling out her laser blaster and flipping it to the stun setting. I followed her lead, raising my gun and watching her nervously.

"We have incoming." Mum said quietly.

"Would now be the time to start running?" Amy wondered aloud.

The Doctor nodded and the three of them headed off at a run, leaving Mum and I to bring up the rear. Several large men approached and we opened fire. As the beams from our guns met their targets, the men crumpled falling to the ground. After checking the device was clear of anymore life forms approaching, Mum knelt beside the closest man, scanning him quickly.

"Human?" I asked, craning my neck to look at the readings.

She shook her head. "No… according to this they're androids."

I glanced at her in confusion. "Androids?"

Reaching out, Mum pulled at the top of the man's head. His face slid off easily, revealing a smooth metal sphere. My mouth dropped open as I stared at the thing in front of me. Without speaking, we tugged the faces off the remaining men; revealing five stunned androids.

After glancing at each other quickly, we rushed after the others. By that time they'd made it to the computer and the Doctor was examining it closely, using the sonic screwdriver as he did so. Rory and Amy almost jumped out of their skin as Mum and I burst through the door.

"Androids, Doctor." Mum said quickly, ignoring her parents' panicked expressions.

"I've figured out what this computer is here for." The Doctor replied. "It's like a giant remote control. This must be how they're controlling the androids."

"But why? What are they doing?" I asked, shaking my head. "Why are there androids here?"

"Think about it… the French Revolution. It's such a massive part of the Earth's history. And… oh! The revolution was getting rid of all the educated, cultures upper classes. Think of all that knowledge being got rid of. The Erudeonites wouldn't have been able to resist trying to prevent that." He stared at them, things clicking into place in his head.

"The Thermidorian Reaction…" Mum breathed. "Robespierre's execution!"

"Exactly… the leader of the revolution, the main cause of all the lost knowledge, is being killed!"

"So the charges against him were just a smoke screen?" Mum asked, putting things together herself. "History will put this down to a coup against him."

"Are we going to stop them?" Amy asked eagerly. I grinned at her excitement. The Doctor shook his head.

"Nope… Robespierre's death is a historical fact." He explained. "The explanation may be different from what's written in the history books, but the outcome will be the same. Besides, he wasn't a very nice man."

"You want to go and watch, don't you?" Mum said with a sigh, shaking her head slightly. He grinned.

"But… Doctor? What about this giant computer?" Rory asked.

The Time Lord shook his head and waved his hands dismissively. "Oh… as soon as their mission is accomplished the Erudeonites will recall all their technology, including their androids, and no one will ever know they were here. They're a peaceful race, as a rule."

"Looks like it…" Rory muttered, thinking about the upcoming event.

"Well… never mind that now." The Doctor said, shaking his head. "Come on or we'll miss it!"

Despite his love of peace and general rule that fighting is bad, the Doctor watched the execution with great interest. As the revolutionary leader was led up the steps to the guillotine, Amy couldn't look and buried her head in Rory's chest. Even Mum looked a little pale as the executioner checked the blade. When the man lay along the plank, his head poking through the hole directly beneath the blade, I felt my stomach clenching slightly.

There was a squeaking sound as the executioner untied the rope and the blade dropped slightly. He took the slack, waiting for the signal to let go. With a sharp nod of his head, a tall man signalled that it was time and the executioner let go. The blade fell sharply coming to rest on the block with a thud. Robespierre's head was removed cleaning from his body and fell into a waiting basket. The crowd cheered, the Doctor along with them. I glanced at him, shocked.

"Got a bit carried away." He muttered, almost embarrassed. I just laughed, shaking my head at him. Then we glanced at Amy – who was looking faintly green – and Rory who was looking anywhere but at the headless body on the platform ahead of them. Mum rolled her eyes.

"Come on," she said, putting her arm through her mother's and propelling her away, "you still owe us a trip to the Hendeban Peninsular, Doctor. I haven't suddenly lost my desire to see the ruby moons."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie put down her pen and closed the Diary. <strong>_

"_**Have you finally finished writing about that adventure?" River asked, swinging her legs off her bed and standing up. Evie nodded, moving to replace the book on the shelf beside her mother's. "Good… we've got to get going. We're late enough as it is."**_

_**Shaking her head, Evie moved to stand beside her, placing her hand in her mother's and waiting for the familiar whooshing feeling as the Vortex Manipulator on her mother's wrist whirled them away through the Vortex.**_


	5. Tea with the Nobles

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Tea with the Nobles**

Age: 20

Location: Chiswick, England, Earth

Date: November 2012

* * *

><p>Mum and the Doctor had gone off again. Recently there have been a lot of things they had to do which I'm not allowed to be involved in. I don't question them too much; mainly because I'm not really sure I want to hear the answers.<p>

It's been just over a month since we went to Demon's Run. Mum's seen her parents since they found out who she was, but for some reason she's avoided letting me bump into the young version of them who know that I'm their granddaughter. I think that might be part of the reason she and Dad keep disappearing off without me. Calling him Dad is weird… I still call him Doctor most of the time. I think the younger version of him finds it easier to deal with as well.

Anyway, Mum and the Doctor had gone off and I'd been left to my own devices. Sometimes they came back after a couple of hours and other times I don't see them for days or even weeks.

It was as I was thinking about this I made up my mind where I was going. I needed something normal at the moment. I needed to forget about all the crazy, mixed up things swirling around in my mind. Scribbling a note to let them know where I was if they arrived back before me, I set my Vortex Manipulator and disappeared through space and time.

I appeared on a street corner in front of a detached house. A car was parked on the drive. It looked exactly the same as it had done the last time I was here. Then again, that had only been a couple of months ago, as far as I was concerned. To them, however, it could have been years. As I stood looking at the house, I saw the net curtains twitching and smiled. Sylvia Noble, no doubt, had spotted me looking and wondered what I was doing.

There was no need to ring the doorbell because the front door was flung open the second I reached it. The smiling, careworn face of Wilfred Mott greeted me and I didn't even have time to say hello before he engulfed me in a tight hug.

"Come in, come in!" He said cheerfully, practically yanking me in through the door and pushing me along the hallway. "Donna's in the kitchen; she'll be so happy to see you!"

I laughed, not knowing what else to do, as Wilf flung open the kitchen door. The first person I spotted was his daughter, who looked at me with her usual slightly disapproving stare. Sylvia did, however, give me a quick hug before turning to the kettle and asking if I wanted tea.

"Please." I said weakly, finding myself being hugged tightly by a red-headed woman who had launched herself at me from across the room. Coughing slightly as she crushed the air from my lungs, I wriggled free of Donna's grasp and stepped backwards.

"You look so young!" She said, looking me up and down. "Just how young ARE you?"

"Twenty?" I told her, raising an eyebrow. "Not that young… why?"

Donna shook her head slightly. "The older you has been visiting us a lot over the last year… every few weeks."

"The older me? How much older?" I asked curiously.

"Twenty four… twenty five… sometimes even slightly older."

"I must have told you things then? Things I don't know now?"

She nodded, sitting down at the table and motioning for me to do the same. Sylvia set the mug down in front of me and sat down as well. The four of us seemed to be considering each other carefully.

"You told us we have to be careful not to tell you anything important that could change things." Wilf told me seriously. I nodded agreeing. There were a couple of moments silence before he spoke again. "How are your parents?"

I grinned. "They're fine… off on another of their secret missions that I'm not allowed to know about."

"So you know who the Doctor is then?" Wilf asked, a relieved look crossing his face. "I was wondering whether you'd got to that yet."

"Oh… yeah. I found out about a month ago." Apparently this helped them place where I was on their mental timelines, because all three instantly looked less tense. I took a sip of tea. "How are things with you?"

"Oh… can't complain." Sylvia said, causing Donna and me to exchange and look and raise our mugs to our mouths quickly to prevent her spotting our smirks. With a mouthful of tea, a loud sound caused me to jump violently and I sent a confused glance towards the red-head sitting beside me.

"That sounded like a…" I couldn't finish my sentence because Donna stood up quickly and picked up a baby monitor from the counter.

"I thought she'd go down for longer than that." The woman said distractedly before disappearing from the room.

With Donna gone, I turned my questioning gaze onto Sylvia who shrugged. "What's going on?"

"Donna's got a baby." The woman told me calmly. "Zoe; your goddaughter."

"What?" I repeated, shocked.

"Mmmm… she's nearly a year old now." Sylvia said, collecting up the empty mugs and carrying them over to the sink. She didn't seem to notice that I was too stunned to speak. "The father, whoever he is, didn't even stick around long enough to find out she was pregnant."

I was completely gobsmacked. When I'd decided to pop over for a visit I hadn't expected this. I'd just thought we'd have a conversation involving Sylvia making digs at her daughter, Donna getting defensive and Wilf sighing and shaking his head exasperatedly. That was how the time had passed the last time I'd visited. Then again, I thought, glancing around the room for any clues, it must have been a long time ago. My eye fell on the TV guide lying on the side and I read the date; Monday 12th November. November of which year?

"What year is it?" I asked Sylvia in a strangled voice.

She glanced at me as though I was stupid. The look didn't affect me; I was used to it by now. "2012, obviously."

"Right… gotcha."

The woman sighed and shook her head, returning to the washing up. I didn't have long to contemplate things because Donna appeared a moment or two later, a small red-headed child clamped to her hip. She handed her to me before opening cupboards and making a loud noise as she searched for something.

I looked at the little girl, who didn't appear the least perturbed to have been dumped unceremoniously on my lap. Instead she was staring at me through big blue eyes, her head slightly on one side as she seemed to be scrutinising me.

"God, that girl adores you. No idea why!" Donna said, dropping into her chair once more and handing me a child's cup. Zoe grabbed for it and I nervously held it out to her and she took it. "Don't worry… she won't bite you."

"I know…" I said quickly, although I didn't know at all. I must have still looked slightly panicked, because Donna laughed. "She's gorgeous."

"Thanks…"

"Ev… Ev Ev Ev…" Zoe chattered banging the cup up and down on the table top. Wincing at the sound, I wrestled it out of her grasp and moved it away.

"That's you." Donna informed me with a grin. "You're Ev."

"Nice." I laughed, relaxing slightly. I had never been in this close contact with a baby before. Stormcage wasn't exactly where you'd expect to see any and in all the adventures I'd been on, small children didn't really feature heavily. "So… can she like walk and stuff? Can she talk? And how does she recognise me? I mean… I'm usually older right?"

"Yeah, but you don't change much. You've hardly aged at all." She informed me casually. I was slightly concerned by this… I already looked really young. If I still looked this young in four or five years I wouldn't be happy. "Well, Zo shuffles along more than she actually walks; she looks like an old person. But she's very independent. But she doesn't talk much yet; it's more sounds and pointing. She's got Mama and Nan and Gramps… well, Ramps."

I laughed tapping Zoe gently on the nose. "She's not like her Mummy yet then? Before long you won't be able to shut her up!"

"Oi!" Donna exclaimed, pretending to be offended. Then she grinned. "You're coming to her birthday party, right? It's in three weeks. I did ask the older you the last time you came…"

"One of me will be here." I said with a shrug. "I can't say which one… but it wouldn't be good if more than one turned up." I threw a glance over my shoulder to where Sylvia was leaning against the kitchen counters with her arms crossed watching us disapprovingly. "So, d'you still live here, Donna?"

"God no!" The red-head exclaimed causing Sylvia to tut slightly. "Zoe and I live in a flat round the corner."

"Doesn't stop you coming round here all the time, does it?" Her mother snapped. "Who does all your washing and cooking?"

"Yes, well, if you don't WANT to see your granddaughter…" Donna started. I gulped, realising that I'd opened a whole new can of worms. The mother and daughter arguing, however, made things feel slightly more normal in the Noble household.

Just as the argument was getting more heated, the phone rang and Wilf shouted through that it was Donna's friend Susie. Taking this as my cue, I said goodbye; the familiar hugs and promises to come back soon echoing around me as I went into the garden. It was a bit rude to just vanish from inside their house. Sylvia lifted Zoe onto the counter so she could wave goodbye. Her chubby little hands were pressed against the glass as I waved and disappeared.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Have a good time?" River asked, walking into the cell. Evie jumped and looked up from the diary. She hadn't even heard the TARDIS's familiar wheezing. "How was Donna?"<strong>_

"_**Fine… she's got a daughter!" The girl said, still surprised. "I'm her godmother."**_

"_**Poor kid." The Doctor chuckled, sticking his head through the door of the police box. He grinned happily. "Good for Donna."**_

"_**You should go and visit her sometime, Dad." Evie suggested, returning the diary to the bookshelf and moving to lean against the cell door. "It's Zoe's birthday party in three weeks… maybe you should go."**_

"_**We'll see…" He said with a knowing smile. Evie shook her head, smirking slightly.**_

_**A/N: Thanks for the reviews my lovelies! I'm so glad that you're liking this! I've got lots of ideas, but if there's anything you'd particularly like to see let me know – either in a review or send me a message – and I'll see what I can do :) x**_


	6. The Game Ship 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Game Ship**

Age: 22

Location: The Game Ship

Date: 6231

* * *

><p>This one was technically my fault, which actually makes a change from it being the Doctor's fault.<p>

I was bored of my parents taking me on risk free trips. Lately they'd decided that we needed to calm down and do more safe things; like sightseeing. I want to see those things as well – the mountains on Felspoon that sway in the wind, the Lost Moon of Poosh (that apparently Dad, Donna and some of his other friends saved from being lost), the Eye of Centurous, the seven headed mice on Pomm, amongst others – but I also want adventures.

"Let's go somewhere potentially dangerous!" I suggested, dancing into the library where my parents had retreated after lunch. Mum sighed and glanced up at me, shaking her head and evidently deciding not to dignify my request with an answer. Instead she looked back down at the open book on her lap.

"Why?" The Doctor asked. "Most places we go we're not looking for trouble and it finds us anyway. Why would we go looking for it?"

"Because this is BORING!" I shouted, leaning my head back, opening my arms and screaming at the ceiling. "I want a proper adventure!"

"Tough." Mum said firmly, glancing up from her book for long enough to shoot me a look that I knew all too well. I sighed and pouted at her grumpily, knowing that she wasn't going to budge. If I was going to get my own way on this I knew who I had to work on.

"Please…" I begged, sitting on the arm of the Doctor's chair and draping my legs across him. I ruffled his hair, making it stick up and out at odd angles. "Please Daddy…"

"That isn't going to work, young lady." Mum told me, raising an eyebrow. "You're twenty-two, not two. You're not going to wrap the Doctor around your little finger."

I shot her a look that I hope said "we'll see" and smiled sweetly at the Doctor. "Oh please… we can leave her highness here if she doesn't fancy it."

"I don't know…" The Doctor said, looking slightly awkward. He glanced, almost in a panic at Mum for support. She raised her eyebrows again and shook her head. "I don't think…"

"It'll be fun!" I wheedled, determined not to let Mum win. "We'll get to do lots of running!" He hesitated, looking as though he was about to cave in. Then Mum cleared her throat and he jumped slightly. "Please! Please! Please! PLEASE!"

"Are you going to keep on until I say yes?" He asked, a smile playing about his lips.

"You betcha." I answered smiling broadly.

The Doctor sighed, almost pretending to have lost the will to argue. "Fine. We'll go on a potentially dangerous adventure."

I cheered and Mum groaned. When I danced off to find my Converse trainers I heard her moaning about him about being too soft with me. I grinned; so much for not being able to wrap him around my little finger.

x-x

"Welcome to the Game Ship." A robotic voice said as soon as we walked through the large glass and metal automatic doors.

"Oooh… This sounds exciting!" I squealed, most unlike myself. Looking around, it looked as though we were in some kind of office building. A large foyer spread out in front of us with doors lining the walls all around. At the far end was a long desk, behind which sat a bored looking man and woman.

"Hello… we'd like to play, please." The Doctor said, beaming at the woman. She was dressed in a smart, pin striped suit and small glasses which made her look stern. The woman sighed at the Doctor and reached into a drawer, pulling out three sheets of paper.

"Sign here…" She said, handing a piece of paper and a pen to each of us. I waited for Dad to read the writing and indicate that it was safe to sign. He looked mildly confused.

"Why do we have to sign this?" He asked. The woman sighed again.

"It's a standard disclaimer relieving us of blame if you lose a limb… or your life."

"Woah?" Mum asked, pushing me aside slightly to lean over the counter. "Why would we lose a limb, let alone our lives."

The woman shrugged, looking bored. "You shouldn't, if you play the game properly."

"I don't know about this, Doctor." Mum said, biting her lip. I rolled my eyes, scrawled my signature on the line and handed the paper back. Growling slightly at me, both my parents followed suit having no choice but to do the same. "If you die… I will kill you." Mum snapped as we headed towards the door the woman had indicated.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>I hope you've put in that it was all your fault?" River asked, moving round the TARDIS console and sitting on the seat beside her daughter. Evie sighed heavily and nodded.<strong>_

"_**Like you'd let me forget." She said, pulling a face.**_

_**River put her arm around her daughter's shoulders and planted a kiss on her cheek. "Sometimes I wonder where you get your recklessness from."**_

_**There was a loud crash from beneath them and both women glanced down through the glass flooring to see the Doctor sprawled on the ground, smoke seemingly rising off him. He blinked a couple of times and shook his head, before climbing shakily to his feet. **_

"_**Nope… that wire definitely doesn't go there…" He murmured. River and Evie laughed, before River went down the steps to see if she could help and her daughter returned to her writing.**_

* * *

><p>On the other side of the door was a small room, dimly lit apart from pulsing blue lights along what looked like a runway. Confused, I looked around for some kind of instructions, Mum and Dad doing the same.<p>

"Welcome to the game." A robotic voice said. All three of us jumped as a bright light appeared at the end of the runway, revealing a robot woman. She was more robot that woman, with a painted face and hair. Even her clothes appeared to just have been painted on. I pulled a face.

"That's weird…"

"Please progress to square one." The robot ordered. Nervously we did what we were told, moving to stand on a glowing square at the end of the runway nearest the door we had entered through. "The aim of this game is to advance along the squares, answering questions to allow to you move."

"This sounds exciting." The Doctor said eagerly. "What happens if we get the answer wrong?"

"You will be eliminated from the game." The voice said simply. I glanced quickly at Mum, who was glaring at me. Behind us the door clicked ominously and I guessed that it had been locked, leaving us with no choice but to complete the game.

"What does that mean?" Dad demanded.

"You will be eliminated from the game." The voice repeated. "Shall we begin?"

"Doesn't seem like we have a choice." Mum snapped.

"Well… at least we're all clever." I said, slightly warily, considering the furious glare she was fixing me with.

"That fills me with confidence. One question wrong and we'll be 'eliminated'. Sounds promising, doesn't it."

The Doctor shrugged and grinned at us. "Not really. But it does sound like a challenge!"

The bright light flashed, drawing our attention back to the robot woman. Weirdly it felt as though we were being told off for talking amongst ourselves. It was like being back at school – not that I'd stayed there long.

"Would you like easy, medium or hard mode?" The robot woman asked. Before Mum or I could speak, the Doctor answered for us.

"Hard." He said confidently. We stared at him, open mouthed. "What, it'll be too easy otherwise!"

We had no time to say anything else, because the game seemed to have started.

"Question one…"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Argh! Thanks for the reading and commenting and favouriting and subscribing guys! It makes me so SO happy!<em>**

**_As does Donna being back... She's totally my fave... And she'll be be making another appearance at some point. Or more than one. We'll see ;)_**


	7. The Game Ship 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Game Ship**

"Question one." The robot woman said, her metallic voice ringing clearly across the room. Instantly I felt a knot tighten in my stomach, wondering what I'd got us into. "In Earth history, who was the last Roman Emperor?"

"You should know this," Mum told Dad, half accusingly, "you were there when Rome fell."

"Of course I know this… Constantine XI"

"Is that your final answer?" The robot asked.

"Yes."

There was a split second of silence before the robot woman spoke. "Correct. You may advance."

The square in front of us, which I'm convinced wasn't even there a second before, lit up and we all stepped forwards instantly. A moment later there was a whirring sound and the square behind us, the one we'd just been standing on, vanished. A look shot between us.

"Oh… that's what eliminated means." I said, biting my lip and pulling a concerned face.

Mum sighed and put her hands on her hips. "Fantastic."

"Question two… In Tydolka mythology, who was Quaaaaw?"

I didn't have a clue. Hoping that my parents would have more of an idea, I glanced at them. Mum seemed to be wracking her brains, but the Doctor seemed to be struggling as though the answer was on the tip of his tongue.

"Is that the one with the blue nose?" Mum asked, screwing up her face as she thought.

The Doctor nodded. "Yeah… the one with a shovel for a hand."

"Oh!" She exclaimed loudly, making me jump. "He's the digger of graves – the one who ferries souls over to the afterlife."

"Is that your final answer?"

Mum nodded. "Yes."

"Correct. You may advance."

Again we stepped forwards just before the floor vanished. I looked down into the hole, but all I could see was blackness; never-ending blackness stretching far down below.

"Question three… Again, in Earth History, who sang the UK 2011 number 1 single 'Someone Like You'?" The robot asked.

"Adele." I answered straight away; I didn't even need to think about the answer. The Doctor looked at me, horrified that I hadn't consulted him. He turned to the computer anxiously, waiting for the response. Mum looked a little nervous as well, but she seemed to have some confidence in me at least.

"Is that your final answer?"

"Yep, definitely." I said confidently.

The moment before the robot spoke was agonising. I willed the answer to be right. The silence was making me doubt myself. "Correct. You may advance."

I breathed a sigh of relief as we took a step forwards. Dad grabbed my arm and hissed, "How did you know that?"

"It's your fault." Mum said with a smirk. "You would insist on buying her that early twenty-first century music compilation for her sixth birthday. I told you she'd be happy with a new Alpha Meson blaster, but would you listen?"

"Well obviously I knew that the music would come in far more useful than ANOTHER gun." The Doctor snapped back. I just grinned. "Besides, no doubt Jack had weapons and other unsuitable gifts covered."

"Shut up or we'll miss the next question!" I told them, playing the role of responsible adult to my parents yet again. Not that I really had any claim to feel superior as it was entirely my fault we were risking our lives on some kind of twisted game.

"Question four… Which of these is a standard form of currency in the Shaam Cluster: Baal, Frin, Maser or Peyyn?"

"Isn't Baal used on Matrexis Twelve?" I asked, remembering a holiday we'd taken several years ago. Mum nodded, chewing on her thumbnail as she considered the answers. "Have you ever been to the Shaam Cluster?"

"Nope… Doctor?"

He shook his head. "Never."

"Oh dear…" I muttered. "OK… so it's definitely not Baal, right? Can we rule anything else out?"

Mum shook her head slightly. "I think Maser is the currency of the Yemzi Tribe on Tremzi which is part of the Rixopal Set. I'm not totally sure but… I think that's right?"

"We'll rule that out then." The Doctor agreed. He looked like he wanted to pace, to help him think, but on the small square the best he could do was rock slightly on the balls of his feet. "So we're left with Frin and Peyyn. Any thoughts?"

"I don't think it's Frin." I said slowly. I wasn't sure why, it was just a gut feeling. "I just don't think that's the right answer… but I don't know why."

"Gut instincts are generally right." The Doctor said. Then he faced the robot and raised his voice. "Peyyn."

"Is that your final answer?" The robot asked.

"It is." The Doctor said.

"Wait, what?" Mum demanded, rounding on him. "You're risking our lives on a gut feeling?"

He grinned at her, as though she was simple. "Of course… it's the best thing to risk your life on!"

Waiting for the robot's response was the most nerve-wracking few seconds of my life. It was ten times worse than waiting for the response to the last question had been.

"Correct. You may advance."

The second we'd stepped forwards we hugged each other, sighing with relief. There was no time to relax however, as the fifth and final question was delivered. On one hand, I was quite disappointed that the game was so short… on the other hand I don't think my nerves could have withstood much more.

"Question five… In universal mythology, what is the alternative name of the character who is known as 'The Oncoming Storm'?"

I spluttered with laughter, turning to look at my parents. Mum was looking slightly bemused while Dad looked offended.

"Character?" The Doctor said annoyed. "Mythology!"

"This is no time to get offended." Mum said, trying hard not to laugh. She jabbed me hard in the ribs as a giggle escaped.

"I know… but… mythological character?" He repeated glaring furiously at the robot.

"Just answer the damn question so we can get out of here and I can punish our daughter properly."

"Fine… The Doctor." He said, sulkily.

"Is that your final answer?" The robot answered. I could have sworn that there was a hint of amusement in its voice.

"Yes." The Doctor snapped.

"Correct." The metallic voice said, seemingly coming from all around us now, rather than just from the figure in its booth ahead. The entire floor lit up, allowing us a much larger space to stand on. "Congratulations, you have completed the game. Please proceed through the door and collect your certificates from the registration desk."

My mouth dropped open. "That's it? We risked our lives for a stupid certificate?"

"Apparently so." Mum said, rolling her eyes and striding towards the door. She wrenched it open and waited for Dad and I to follow, tapping her foot impatiently. "You both owe me for this, big time."

"Let's just collect our certificates and leave." The Doctor muttered, striding out of the room and towards the desk. Mum and I exchanged a grin and followed. He was taking that last question incredibly personally.

As we collected our certificates and returned to the TARDIS I could have sworn he was still muttering 'mythology' and 'character' and 'rude'. I grinned broadly as I raised the certificate in front of my face so he couldn't see my expression, banging around the console in irritation.

On the paper in front of me were the words; 'Congratulations. This is to certify that Evie Song completed The Game on Level: Hard.'

We had gone through all that stress for a lousy piece of paper. Then I shrugged; it had been far more fun than trailing around yet another museum while Dad kept score and pointed out the inaccuracies and Mum got annoyed at him for loudly criticising the exhibits.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Sweetie…" River called from below the floor. Evie put her diary and pen aside and moved so that she could see her mother through the glass floor. "Can you go and grab the first aid kit… he's injured himself. Again."<strong>_

_**With a sigh and a shake of her head, Evie headed off towards the kitchen to retrieve the kit. She wasn't sure why they didn't keep it in the console room. **_

"_**If we'd just stayed here I could have happily continued with the rewiring." He muttered, letting River patch him up while Evie watched.**_

"_**You're just annoyed that the robot called you a mythological character." The girl said grinning. The Doctor growled, not answering. River shot her daughter a smirk and Evie knew she was off the hook.**_


	8. Seven Wives

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Seven Wives**

Age: 16

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: February 1538

* * *

><p>After complaining I was bored, the Doctor finally agreed to take Mum and me on an adventure. He was reluctant because he'd just started working on the wiring underneath the TARDIS console, for about the twelfth time that I can remember.<p>

Mum got to choose and she decided she wanted to visit Medieval Britain; specifically Tudor times. The Doctor was unwilling at first. Apparently something had happened between him and Queen Elizabeth… something that meant he couldn't face going back. But Mum persuaded him to take us there anyway.

We landed in the middle of what seemed to be a busy market. Stalls lined the street selling all sorts of things from food to clothes to strange items I'd never seen before. Mum started gushing, as she always did when she was faced with historical artefacts.

"I'm gonna go and check out that bakers stall." I told Mum and the Doctor, following my nose towards the scent of freshly baked bread. I can never resist it; there's nothing like that smell to make my stomach rumble.

"Alright, sweetie." Mum called back distractedly, examining a strangely shaped lump of stone carefully.

"Don't wander off!" The Doctor commanded, before Mum grabbed his hand and pulled him along to the next stall.

Sighing, I made my way over to the bakers stall and smiled sweetly, hoping he'd give me a free sample. Sadly, he seemed to be far too used to people trying things like that and stared at me until I handed over one of the coins the Doctor had given me as we stepped out of the TARDIS. Smiling now, the man handed me a loaf of bread and I wandered away, ripping chunks off and eating it happily.

I was too busy looking around me to notice that Mum and the Doctor had gone. When I did realise that I was standing completely on my own in the middle of a Tudor market street, I was more annoyed than anything else. It's always the same when Mum and the older version of the Doctor take me anywhere. They wander off and leave me behind to look after myself.

Following my instincts, I tracked them down to a huge garden. It was behind a pair of enormous, metal gates which I decided to go under, rather than attempt to climb over or walk through. Knowing my luck, the second I opened them I'd be surrounded by less than friendly guards which would be rather interesting –

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Evie!" River snapped, reading over her daughter's shoulder. "Oh, please?"<strong>_

"_**What?" The girl answered innocently. "I saw you checking those guards out too!"**_

"_**OK, OK! I'm going out..." River said, with the air of someone who was just popping to the shops for a pint of milk, rather than breaking out of a top security prison cell. "I shouldn't be long."**_

_**Evie sighed and shook her head slightly before she returned her attention to her writing. **_

* * *

><p>– but I couldn't be dealing with all the hassle. So, I squeezed myself underneath the gates and rolled out on the other side. Ahead I could see Mum and the Doctor talking to someone. Brushing the dust off my clothes, I approached, ready to give them a piece of my mind for leaving me alone.<p>

"And who might this be?" A large, richly dressed man asked, looking me up and down as I approached. I gave him a look which I hope conveyed my feelings on being leered at by him.

Mum looked apprehensively at the Doctor, who spoke. "This is Evie."

"She's my daughter." Mum added quickly, putting a protective arm around my shoulders.

The fat man took my hand, pressing a kiss to it before pulling me, rather forcefully, along the gravel pathway and towards the large stone building. I sent Mum and the Doctor half pleading, half threatening looks as I was dragged along.

"Your highness…" The Doctor said, hurrying to catch us up. "We really must be going."

At his words, I glanced at the man who was still grasping my hand firmly and showing no sign that he was planning on releasing it.

"Nonsense!" The man roared, dismissing the Doctor with a wave of his free hand. "I am holding a banquet this evening and I wish you to attend; you, physician, your beautiful wife and your delightful daughter."

When we were alone in the rooms the man had arranged for us, I turned to Mum, feeling a mixture of confusion and alarm. "Who was that man?"

"That, my love, was Henry VIII." Mum told me, holding my hand tightly in hers and pressing it to her chest, directly above her heart. She looked worried. "And, if I'm not very much mistaken he is intending to add you to his list of wives."

I looked at her as though she was insane. "But… surely he HAS a wife?"

"No… not at the moment. It's 1538… Henry's last wife, Jane Seymour died last year and he doesn't marry Anne of Cleves until 1540. There's plenty of time to squeeze you in the middle." Mum said, shaking her head.

"Oh, great... Aren't you more his age?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah… he did try it on." Mum said, pulling a face. "But the Doctor told him I was his wife."

"I did wonder about that…" I admitted with a sigh. "Well… we need to get out of here then." It was a demand rather than a request.

"Deal. We'll grab the Doctor and go."

Mum got up and poked her head around the door, before signalling that it was safe to go out into the corridor. We walked quickly and quietly, looking for the Doctor. To our annoyance, he seemed to have vanished.

Finally we found him, questioning one of the important looking men about how he got the feather in his hat to defy gravity and stand bolt upright. Mum smiled at the man and grabbed the Doctor's hand, dragging him away. He spluttered complaints, obviously enjoying his conversation.

"We're getting out of here before my daughter ends up Queen." She hissed, glancing around anxiously, one hand tightly around my wrist as though she thought I was about to be wrenched away from her.

He pulled a face. "Ohh… but I was enjoying myself. And there's a banquet later… banquets are cool."

"We're leaving." Mum said firmly. She pulled us both along the corridor. As we passed a table, my hand shot out and closed around a pretty, apparently sculpted gold ornament. Mum raised an eyebrow. "Thief!"

"And what?" I replied cheekily, winking. "You gonna make me put it back?"

Mum considered me for a moment before smirking and shaking her head. "No… let's just get out of here, OK?"

We'd reached the front doors, thick wooden ones that were bolted securely shut. Rather than spending time trying to open them, the Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at the metalwork and the locks and bolts clicked open. He wrenched the heavy panels aside and we rushed through.

"Stop!" A husky voice called from behind them.

We didn't even look back over our shoulders; we just launched into a sprint, grabbing hold of each other's hands and heading towards the TARDIS. In minutes, tens of guards were after us. Apparently they'd seen me steal the ornament. Either that or Henry _really_ didn't want us to leave.

We crashed into the police box split seconds before they caught up with us and I slammed the doors as Mum and the Doctor sent us spinning hurriedly into the Vortex.

"Well," the Doctor said taking several deep breaths, "I can't visit the reigns of Henry or Elizabeth now. Brilliant!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>A familiar whirring sound filled the cell and Evie glanced up from her position, sitting cross-legged on her beg with her back against the brick wall. The Doctor appeared through the doors of the TARDIS, soniced open the cell door and beckoned her towards him.<strong>_

"_**Your mother thought we should come and check you weren't getting into mischief." He said with a grin. "Fancy a trip?"**_

_**The teenager leapt across the cell, leaving her diary on the bed, immediately forgotten at the promise of an adventure. **_


	9. Planet 84

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Planet 84**

Age: 13

Location: Planet 84, Ontipax System

Date: 342

* * *

><p>We hadn't visited an alien planet for a while so that's where the Doctor suggested we went next. Mum and I had been with him in the TARDIS for a while. I have no idea why, but one day he just turned up and announced that he wanted us to go with him.<p>

He never questions the fact that I live at Stormcage with Mum. She apparently told him when I was younger that I was the youngest prisoner at the facility and as Mum was a woman they decided that I should be put with her. They assumed that she would be maternal and raise me. Mum says the Doctor found this assumption funny and she ended up punching him because he wouldn't stop laughing.

Anyway, I was sitting in the doorway of the TARDIS with the doors flung wide open and my legs dangling into the blackness below. I love just sitting and staring out at the universe. Mum was a little nervous at first, but the Doctor assured her that the field around the TARDIS would make sure I wouldn't just float off into Space.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Well knowing you it wouldn't surprise me at all!" River exclaimed behind the teenager, making her jump. "You're so accident prone sometimes I wouldn't put it past you to just topple out."<strong>_

"_**Mum!" Evie almost shrieked. "Could you please NOT stand behind me and read what I'm writing. You can see it when I'm finished."**_

_**With a sigh and a roll of her eyes, the woman walked away, leaving her daughter in peace for once.**_

* * *

><p>"How would you like to see a new Planet, Evie?" The Doctor asked, settling himself on the ground beside me, his legs dangling into the darkness beside mine. I turned to face him, smiling. "I'll take that as a yes, shall I?"<p>

"Yes! Do you even need to ask?" I said, grinning at him. Behind me I could hear Mum huffing slightly at not being including in these plans.

"Right… there's somewhere I want you to see… It's called Planet 84." He said, leaping off the ground and heading towards the console. Reluctantly I dragged myself away from the stars and planets outside the doors and closed them firmly. "It's in the Ontipax System. Just before Planet 85 and about 3000 miles after –"

"Planet 83?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. He grinned and nodded. "Inventive."

"Well, yes, the natives aren't the most imaginative people in the universe, but they make an amazing cheesecake!" The Doctor said laughing.

"What are they called?" I asked, curiously. "The natives of Planet 84?"

"Queegs."

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>That's not how you spell Quejes." River said nonchalantly. Evie threw one of her shoes at her mother, who ducked and grinned.<strong>_

* * *

><p>"Quejes? Why?"<p>

The Doctor shrugged. "Who knows! Why are the Sontarans called Sontarans or you Humans called Humans?"

"Well the Sontarans are from Sontar… that makes more sense than the Quejes from Planet 84." I pointed out grinning. He rolled his eyes.

"Always making things difficult, aren't you?"

"It's what I'm here for."

He rolled his eyes theatrically. "Can't you control your child?" He asked Mum. "On the other hand, considering the only adult influences she's ever had… it's no wonder the poor girl's ended up so annoying."

Mum rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the console scanner, before she threw something at him. I knew the expression on her face so well.

"So, Sweetie, what's on this planet apart from 'amazing cheesecake'?" Mum asked, arching an eyebrow. "Nothing dangerous, I hope."

"Well… as long as we stay away from the Molten Lava Pits and the carnivorous Lilix plants we should be absolutely fine." He said casually, flipping switches and moving levers. I glanced at Mum, who looked horrified, and snorted with laughter. Since when had a trip with the Doctor ever been risk free?

x-x

As soon as the TARDIS landed I was out; stepping onto a soft, blue, sand-like surface. The substance seemed to be their version of soil and stretched away as far as I could see. Tall, orange stemmed plants waved slightly as we passed them, despite the lack of breeze. The Doctor grabbed my arm and yanked me sideways as one of these Lilix plants made a sudden grab for me. A couple of creatures scuttled across the ground in front of us. They looked like miniature red and yellow badgers.

The Doctor lead the way towards a settlement. Everything was made of a strange, blue material. It shone like metal but it had a strange, almost soft, texture. In the light it seemed to sparkle. The Doctor informed us that it was called Quejionite and, despite its appearance and feel was one of the strongest and most enduring materials in the Ontipax system.

"So, where's this cheesecake then?" I asked as we entered an area that seemed to be where the shops were.

"This way… the best café around." The Doctor informed us, leading the way. Exchanging a look, Mum and I followed silently.

The Quejes were humanoids. They were smaller than humans, however. I'm short, but they were at least a head shorter than me. Their faces had the same, blue tinged sparkly appearance as the Quejionite and their hair was bright orange like the stems of the Lilix plants.

"Good evening." A waiter said as we entered the dimly lit building. The Doctor chatted to him for a moment before we were shown to a table in front of a large glass window. As I sat down my eyes fell on a large, red pool.

"What's that?" I asked the Doctor, pointing at it. He smiled.

"That's one of the famous Molten Lava Pits." He informed us. Mum and I exchanged yet another look. "I think that one is known as Blawnog. Did you know that the Molten Lava Pits are a huge source of income for the Quejes? Not only are they a massive tourist site, they also provide a lot of jobs. For instance…"

I tuned out as the Doctor went into a long ramble about the merits of the pools of bright, boiling liquid. The Queje waiter soon brought our order and I tucked into my possi fruit cheesecake. It was delicious; sweet and sour in equal measures, just how it should be. Mum, boringly, went for chocolate while the Doctor, awkward as always, asked for a custom made fish finger cheesecake. I shook my head as he took his first bite, obviously delighted.

"That's so gross." I complained, watching with horrified fascination as he wolfed his desert down. He just grinned, showing me the contents of his mouth. "YOU are gross."

"Doctor, sir." The waiter said, reappearing at their side before the Time Lord could respond. "I regret that I was unable to make space on the next Lava Tour for you and your party."

Mum looked absolutely horrified at the idea of a Lava Tour, but the Doctor looked disappointed. He sighed and shrugged.

"Never mind. And I told you before, don't call me sir!" As the waiter nodded and hurried away, the Doctor turned to us, looking apologetic. "Sorry… that would have been so interesting."

"Oh… never mind." Mum said, unconvincingly disappointed. "At least you tried. Besides… I noticed a lovely little jewellery shop back there… maybe we could take a look at that before we leave?"

The Doctor grinned, through down some money on the table and we left the café, heading in the direction Mum had pointed. She seemed to have memorised exactly where the jewellery shop was and within a couple minutes were standing outside a small shop. The window contained a display of beautiful jewellery; either made of polished Quejionite or hardened Lava from the famous pits.

It took a long time for Mum to decide what she wanted, but finally we left the shop. The Doctor looked absolutely exhausted. Mum was thrilled with her sparkling blue Quejionite earrings. They drew the colour out of her eyes, making them shine even more brightly than normal. The Doctor had also bought me a present; a deep orange Lava bangle. Apparently they were supposed to bring good luck to the wearer, so I've got my fingers crossed on that one.

On our way back to the TARDIS the Doctor suggested going to check whether there were any seats on any of the other Lava Tours. Mum suddenly decided that she had a headache and desperately needed a lie down. With a grin I followed the pair of them back to the police box. Mum shot me a wink over her shoulder and a look which clearly said 'I'm not risking anything stupidly dangerous', allowing the Doctor to wrap and arm around her waist and 'help' her along the path. They never changed.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Alright, mother." Evie said, putting down her pen and swivelling to face River. The woman put on her most innocent face and smiled. "I've finished if you want to read it?"<strong>_

"_**Oh… thank you, honey." Her mother said, reaching out a hand and taking the small blue diary. She read the first line and sighed. "You really need to work on your handwriting… it's almost as messy as the Doctor's."**_

_**Evie let out a sharp exhalation of breath and smiled sarcastically. "Thanks."**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hello sweeties! Thank you very much for all the comments etc again! It means so SO much to know that you guys are enjoying it! :D<strong>_

_**This is just a quick note to say that I'm away until Sunday night, so there won't be any updates until at least then... or maybe Monday! We'll see! :)**_


	10. Wedding Bells 1

_**Alright Guys? Good weekend? **_

_**Just a quick note before this part to let you know that it - and the next couple - are basically a reworking of the Torchwood episode 'Something Borrowed' (series 2). It won't matter if you haven't seen it... it's pretty self explanatory :)**_

* * *

><p><strong>Evie's TARDIS Diary: Wedding Bells<strong>

Age: 18

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: May 2008

* * *

><p>Mum went off somewhere and I was bored. When I'm bored I tend to get myself into trouble. Yesterday, though, I decided that rather than doing something stupid and potentially dangerous, I would go and visit Jack and the Torchwood Three team.<p>

Because that wasn't a stupid thing to do. Potentially dangerous? Well, maybe.

There was no one in when I arrived. Teleporting myself to Roald Dahl Plass in Cardiff, I walked purposefully towards the invisible lift, stepping onto the stone and descending into the hub itself. Looking around, it was obviously that the whole team was out. Tosh had left her computer on standby, the usual checks and readings being done and taken. Owen's medical bay was a mess; as usual. Gwen's desk was covered in files, grouped together in thick, brown covers. Myfanwy was flapping around high above my head, as she usually did. The pteranodon recognised me, luckily, and paid me no attention as I wandered around the hub.

After an hour or so there was still no sign of the Torchwood team and I was getting bored. Sitting in Jack's desk chair I twirled round and round, getting steadily dizzier and dizzier. I was even starting to regret my decision to come and pay them a visit. Leaning back I pulled a face.

Then I heard the sirens blaring and heard the flashing lights which signalled the door was being opened. Grinning, I swaggered through the office door and leant against the railings that ran around the edge of the upper platform where Jack's office was. Silently I watched them all coming in.

Jack and Gwen were first, his arm loosely around her shoulders. They were laughing about something or other and Gwen smacked him lightly on the chest before turning away and sitting at her desk, moving the piles of paper around as though she was looking for something. Jack then turned to Ianto, muttering something and the Welshman headed into the kitchen; no doubt to make coffee. Tosh and Owen came into the hub last. It looked to me as though they were bickering which, to be perfectly honest, was more than likely what was happening.

"Oi!" I shouted down from the balcony, making all four down on the level below me whirl around to look in my direction. Cautiously Ianto's head appeared round the kitchen door as he too looked to see who was trying to attract their attention.

"Miss Evie Song!" Jack called out delightedly, his American accent ringing through the shocked silence. He laughed and jumped up the staircase to his office, scooping me up in his arms and swinging me round in a tight hug. "When did you get here?"

"Ages ago! You should really do something about the security on this place." I advised as Jack let me go. "I literally just walked in."

"Ah, but you know how to get into the hub and the system knows you. Besides, if Myfanwy hadn't recognised you, you'd have been dead by now." He pointed out. I nodded, seeing his point.

"Hey, don't keep her to yourself, Jack!" Gwen shouted from below. The American laughed and pulled my by my hand. I almost tripped down the metal steps as he dragged me. No sooner had I steadied myself on the flat floor of the hub when the dark-haired Welsh woman barrelled into me, embracing me tightly. "You arrived just in time, sweetheart!"

"In time?" I asked, slightly confused, glancing round at the others. "In time for what?"

"My wedding of course!" Gwen laughed, fixing me with a slightly bemused look. Painting a grin on my face I nodded as though I wasn't totally lost in this conversation. "I invited you and your Mum… you said you'd be there."

"'Course I'll be there… but there's kind of a problem with Mum… she vanished about two weeks ago on one of her little solo adventures and I haven't heard from her since." I admitted, glancing at Jack. Although he and Mum hadn't spoken in a while – they'd fallen out over something, though never of them would tell me what it was – his face reflected the slight worry I felt.

Mum often vanished like that and turned up a while later absolutely fine. Sometimes it was just because the Doctor was useless at getting to the right place and the right time. Sometimes it was for other reasons. But I always worried.

After fond greetings and hugs from Ianto, Tosh and Owen, I turned back to Gwen, my head tilted slightly to one side. "So, when are you getting married?"

"Tomorrow!" She squealed. My eyebrows must have been in danger of shooting off the top of my head as my mouth dropped open.

"Wow! I really did get here just in time! But I guess I'm gonna need to go shopping. I can't really go to a wedding in this, can I?" I looked down at my blue vest top, black jeans and heavy boots.

"Allow me to escort you, Miss Song?" Jack asked, offering me his arm. I grinned and took it.

"As long as you're paying?"

He grinned. "What else is a Godfather for?"

"Good point… you don't really have any other uses…" I told him giggling. He pretended to look offended, glanced at his watch and pulled me towards the lift. "Gwen, get out of here and enjoy your hen night!" He ordered as we stood on the platform which began to rise slowly. "The rest of you, go home and get some rest! We're going to a wedding tomorrow!"

x-x

"Jack, no!" I complained as he brought me yet another dress to try on. He'd insisted on dragging me to several of Cardiff's most expensive dress shops in the search for my outfit for Gwen and Rhys' wedding. "I told you before I am NOT wearing pink."

He sighed and poked his head through the curtains. Realising that I was only half dressed, he retreated quickly, blushing. I smirked slightly, knowing that if I had been anyone else in the entire universe he'd have pulled some kind of cheeky face and made a flirtatious comment. "Sorry… But it'll look gorgeous on you!"

"No pink." I reiterated firmly.

In the end we compromised. Jack bought me a strapless pale green dress that stopped just above my knees and hot pink high-heels. Then he got offended when the assistant assumed I was his daughter and he muttered about it all the way back to the hub. We stopped for pizza on the way and I snorted with laughter as, yet again, he was mistaken for my father.

"Do I honestly look old enough to be your father?" He demanded as we entered the base. I grinned and dropped my shopping bags on the floor as Jack opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice, collapsing onto the sofa. "Seriously?"

"Yes, Jack, you do." I told him with a shrug, dropping down beside him. "But then again, I look younger than I am, so don't get too annoyed."

"Hmph…" He muttered, attacking his slice of pizza as though it, too, had offended him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Also, lovelies, I have a request to make. If you have a couple of minutes to spare could you check out 1945's stories. I know she'd appreciate it and it would be lovely of you :)<strong>_

_**(You can get to her profile on the reviews page)**_

_**xxx**_


	11. Wedding Bells 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Wedding Bells**

It took me a couple of minutes to work out where I was the next morning when I woke up. Jack had made me up a bed in one of the conference rooms along from his office and I'd fallen straight to sleep as soon as my head had touched the pillow. The strange whirring and humming sounds, not to mention the occasional screeches from Myfanwy and the blinking, pulsing lights around the hub, had not bothered me in the slightest. If anything I found them oddly comforting. It reminded me of the times I'd stayed with Jack during my childhood.

"Morning, sleepy head!" Jack grinned, poking his head around the door. "We've got a slight problem."

At once I was awake. Sitting bolt upright I rolled out of bed, forgetting that I was only wearing one of Jack's shirts as a make-shift nightdress and looked at him seriously. "What's happened?"

"Gwen…" He started, raising his eyebrows looking pointedly at my outfit. "I really hope you're not going to come downstairs looking like that. Owen's down there and you know what he's like…"

I exhaled sharply and rolled my eyes. "Alright, Dad." I muttered sarcastically. "But more importantly… what's happened to Gwen?"

"I'll tell you downstairs." He said. I stepped forwards to follow him down to the lower level of the hub but he held up a hand to stop me. "WHEN you're dressed."

Growling with frustration I dressed hurriedly and headed downstairs. Ianto handed me a cup of tea and I dropped onto the sofa looking around of any hints as to what was wrong.

"No time for tea, missy." Owen said, taking the mug out of my hand and pulling me to my feet. "We need to get round to Gwen's flat. Now."

In the car on the way over Jack quickly explained that, after I'd gone to bed they'd had a call about a possible alien threat and he and Gwen had chased a shape shifter through the streets of Cardiff. Apparently the creature had bitten Gwen before Jack had shot and killed it.

"You took Gwen?" I asked, dumbfounded. "It was her hen night… I would have come with you instead."

"You're not a member of Torchwood." Jack said firmly. "There's far too much paperwork involved if a civilian dies."

I rolled my eyes and followed the men out of the SUV and up to the flat Gwen shared with Rhys. The Welsh woman was in a state of shock as she opened the door and let us in. I didn't blame her. Gwen was obviously incredibly pregnant.

"_Gwen, you're pregnant._" Owen said unnecessarily as he examined her stomach. "_Almost full term._"

"_Pregnant?_" She demanded, horrified. "_That's not possible._"

"_How're you doing Gwen?_" Jack asked, appearing in the doorway.

Gwen didn't answer his question. Instead she looked up at him, her eyes wide and terrified. "_Jack will you tell me what's going on? Owen says I'm pregnant._"

"_Well, you think?_" He asked, slightly amused. I punched him in the arm for being insensitive.

"_Jesus Christ!_" She swore. "_What with?_"

"_Exobiological insemination._" Owen confirmed, taking more reading's from Gwen's stomach. I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to work out why that phrase meant something to me?

"_That alien last night…_" Jack started seriously.

"_Oh… get off._" Gwen snapped, pushing Owen away, standing up and heading out of the room. "_It bit me, Jack, that's all._"

Owen pulled a face and I glared at him. "Eurgh… you are sick. And insensitive." I snapped, following Gwen from the room. I caught her up in the living room, but suddenly realised I had no idea what to say to her. She poured herself a glass of water, offering me one but I shook my head, perching on the arm of the sofa.

"_Pass the eggs on in the bite._" Jack said, finishing what he'd been about to say before Gwen interrupted him. "_Some species do that. A kind of sneaky way of keeping the bloodline going. Boy, would Darwin have a field day if he'd made it to space._"

"Not now, Jack." I hissed, shaking my head and wondering why men were so insensitive.

"_Mmm… yeah… great!_" Gwen snapped sarcastically.

"_Listen…_" Owen said, trying to keep her calm. "_Gwen you are going to be fine I promise, OK? If there was any biological incompatibility you would be dead." _I groaned. Seriously, didn't they know when to keep their mouths shut? "_Now, according to this scan you're carrying a non-sentient blastopheric mass._"

"_A what?_"

"_It's a kind of alien egg… But don't worry, I am going to look after you, I promise. We've got procedures in place for this situation._" Owen assured her. Maybe it's a female thing, but neither Gwen nor I felt at all reassured by this statement. Jack and Owen didn't seem to find that at all alarming, but the newly pregnant Gwen looked horrified. And I felt it.

"_You mean this has happened before?_" She demanded, eating a pickle.

"_You've heard of immaculate conception, haven't you?_" Jack asked. My mouth dropped open and I fell off the arm onto the sofa itself, gobsmacked. "_Well…_"

"_Right…_" Owen said, taking charge. "_We take you back to the hub, you lie back, I'll run you through a biozenic microtron, a couple of days off your feet then you'll be right as rain._"

"_WOAH!_" Gwen exclaimed, stepping towards him, her mouth full. "_In a couple of days? In five hours I am walking down the aisle, Owen._"

Suddenly I remembered the reason I was still here; Gwen and Rhys' wedding. Somehow I didn't think continuing with her original plans was a good idea. For starters how was she going to explain that she was nine months pregnant overnight?

"_No you're not._" Jack told her firmly.

"_Gwen… I hate to say this but you're gonna have to postpone the wedding._" Owen agreed with his boss. The woman shot me an outraged look. All I could do was stare blankly back. I was literally lost for words.

"_No! No, way!_" She argued. "_Have you any idea how much a wedding costs?_"

None of us had, but apparently Jack didn't care. "_Listen, Gwen, you are not carrying the baby Jesus in there!_" He snapped bluntly.

"_I don't care! Alright? I can't put Rhys through this. He's had to put up with enough as it is, OK, so I am not postponing the wedding._"

Gwen didn't seem to have spotted the obvious problem. Something that was quite literally staring us all in the face. I didn't have the heart to mention it, but I was sure that Jack was just about to.

"_You are not thinking straight._" Jack shouted.

When he shouted, Gwen screamed. "_Do not bring my bloody hormones into this, Mr Jack Harkness!_"

Jack was shocked. "_OK… calm… down…_"

Owen was smirking at the reaction Jack had just received and the look on his face. I sighed and rolled my eyes in exasperation. As much as I liked Owen he did drive me insane sometimes. This was really not the right moment for him to act like a prat.

"_Owen has said that if this wasn't safe I would know about it by now, right?_" Gwen asked, clarifying the situation in her head.

"_As far as I know, yeah._"

"_OK… so I'm good until AFTER the wedding. Then I'll do whatever I have to do... once I'm Mrs Williams. Not before!_"

"Umm… isn't there something that you've kind of forgotten?" I asked quietly, not wanting to butt in. I was well aware that I wasn't a part of their team, however welcome they always made me.

"What?" Gwen demanded, rounding on me. I gulped and pointed at her stomach.

"That… I'm guessing you didn't consider the fact that you'd be pregnant when you bought your dress?"

"Oh… god!" Gwen muttered, leaning her elbows on the kitchen counter and burying her head in her hands.

"Don't worry!" Jack said, grabbing me by the arm and heading towards the door. "You speak to Rhys and we'll sort your dress… I'm sure Evie and Tosh can find something between them!"

He pulled me through the flat door and down to the SUV. All the way back to the hub he and Owen talked in low voices, leaving me to stare out of the window at the grey Cardiff landscape rushing past and think about what had just happened.

"_How is she?_" Tosh asked as we entered the hub.

"_She's going ahead with the wedding._" Owen told her in a voice that clearly expressed that he thought his friend was completely mad.

"_Which is fine…_" Jack said. "_As long as she doesn't go into labour at the altar. Rhys might forgive her going down the aisle pregnant, but not giving birth to a razor-toothed monster that eats half his family._"

"Jack!" I complained, pulling a face at his insensitivity. He stared back at me, his face completely devoid of emotion.

"_Could that happen?_" Ianto asked worriedly.

"_Well, look…_" Owen said with a deep inhalation of breath. "_The pregnancy's advanced and we're not familiar with the species._"

"_Which is why you, Owen, need to open up the guy with the teeth and make sure there's no surprises._"

"_I'm on it._" The medic said, heading down to the medical bay where they creature was laid out on the operating table. I remembered being laid on that table when I was younger and had run straight into one of the glass-fronted cells down in the vaults. Owen had laughed himself silly when I eventually woke up. Apparently knocking myself out was the epitome of stupid.

"_Tosh,_ Evie, _you've got an early pass to the wedding. Keep an eye on Gwen._" Jack said. Tosh and I glanced at each other and grinned. "_Ianto… Gwen's gonna need a new wedding dress. Bigger._"

"I though you said we could get the dress?" I asked, slightly hurt.

"D'you want to help Ianto choose?" Jack offered, raising an eyebrow. "Or would you rather go with Tosh?"

I thought for a moment, before turning and rushing up the steps to the room where I'd left my shopping bags. "In a bit!" I called over my shoulder.


	12. Wedding Bells 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Wedding Bells**

I met Tosh on the main level of the hub. She looked beautiful in a blue dress with a plunging neckline and a silvery wrap. She smiled at me, almost shyly, as though waiting for some sign of approval.

"Oh… Tosh!" I said, grinning at her. "You look beautiful!"

She smiled more broadly. "Thanks, Evie. So do you."

I grinned as well, looking down at myself. Against the pale green of the dress, my skin seemed even more tanned than usual, something that I was immensely pleased about. I had left my hair down, letting the natural curls bounce over my shoulders and down my back.

"Are we ready to go?" I asked, glancing at the time. She nodded.

"Let me just…" Tosh moved quickly to the medical bay where Owen was examining the creature who had bitten Gwen. Subtly I moved even further away so that I wouldn't accidently overhear their conversation. I felt bad for Tosh, pining after her colleague. But Owen was Owen and he would never change.

She appeared a couple of moments later, a smile on her face. Wordlessly she headed out of the hub, leaving me to follow her bombarding her with questions. Finally, as soon as they'd set off towards the manor house where Gwen's wedding was being held, Tosh admitted that she'd persuaded Owen to come.

"Like a date?" I shrieked excitedly. Tosh blushed and shook her head violently.

"No!" She said quickly. "NO! Just… you know. I didn't want him to miss it. Gwen's our friend."

"OK…" I muttered, smirking and totally unconvinced.

We sat in comfortable silence for most of the journey. I told Tosh some stories about things I'd been up to and she filled me in on some of Torchwood's recent assignments. Then we drew up outside the manor house.

"Wow!" Tosh breathed. "Isn't it beautiful."

"Sure is." I agreed, opening my door and sliding out. It was far easier to drop onto the ground than try to climb out normally. The dress was a lot shorter and tighter than I remembered it being in the shop. Hitching the top up so that my chest was less exposed, I told hold of the box containing Gwen's new wedding dress and helped Tosh carry it inside.

"_Alright, love?_" A man called out as they struggled through the door into the entrance hall. "_Oh… you've got a big box! D'you wanna hand with that?_"

"_Um… no, thank you I'm fine._" Tosh told him as they manoeuvred through the small space and into the room. I shot the man a look, instantly knowing his type. I'd met plenty of males like him, of all different species.

"_You going to the wedding?_" He asked her. Obviously he couldn't take a hint.

"_I'm a friend of Gwen's._"

"_I'm Banana… s'pose you can tell why._" He said, following us to the reception desk. I rolled my eyes and turned to say something scathing, but Tosh put her hand on my arm and shook her head sharply. I guessed she was right. Me causing a scene was the last thing Gwen needed right now.

"_You come up in spots and go soft quickly?_" Tosh answered him, sending me a quick wink. I snorted with laughter.

"_No, actually, I'm the best man._" He said. We both looked at him as though he was joking. Neither of us thought much of Rhys' choice of friends.

"_Evolution is full of surprises._"

"_I get to check everything personally, right? Err… the disco, cake, flowers…_" He carried on listing his duties, but neither of us were listening.

"_Bridal suite?_" Tosh asked the receptionist, who directed us up the stairs and along the corridor.

"_So, d'you fancy a little drink later?_" 'Banana' asked Tosh. I smirked, looking away. She looked horrified. Between us we lifted the box once more and headed towards Gwen's room.

"_Sorry…_" Tosh told him, sounding less than genuine. "_I'm intolerant to vasoactive amines._"

"_Eh?_" He asked. I could easily picture the look of total confusion that would be on his face at that moment.

"_Bananas make me vomit._" She explained as we reached the top of the staircase.

I grinned. "I bloody love you, Toshiko."

"Thanks!" She replied, grinning back. "What a creep. Is this it?"

We stopped outside a door and I, having the only vaguely free hand, knocked. Gwen answered in less than three seconds.

"Hi…" Tosh and I said together. "_Jack sent us over with this._"

"Ianto picked it." I added as we went inside and put the box down on the floor. Gwen knelt in front of it, carefully took off the lid and pulled the dress out slowly. The three of us gasped.

"_It's beautiful._" Gwen whispered, looking at us with tears in her eyes.

"_And I don't blame you for telling Jack and Owen to stick a postponement._" Tosh told her with a smile.

"Me neither." I agreed. "Men just don't get it."

"_I think it's wonderful you're getting married whatever._" Tosh finished. I nodded fervently.

Gwen looked as though she were on the verge of tears. "_Tosh, thank you. _And you, Evie."

"_You're very lucky._" Gwen and I looked at each other, before looking at Tosh, who were staring down at her hands sadly. We both knew she was pining for Owen.

"_You know, Tosh, it'll happen for you one day._" Gwen said, trying to reassure her. "_There's always Owen._"

"_I don't think so._" She said with a small laugh. "_In sickness and in health, to death do us part. It's gonna sound like a bad joke, isn't it?_"

Neither Gwen nor I seemed to know what to say to this. I looked up at her sad face, willing my brain to come up with something comforting. "Tosh…"

But she didn't seem to want to hear it. "_Umm… I'll let you get on. If you need me I'll be downstairs. Good luck._"

"_Thank you._" The bride breathed sadly.

For a moment I was confused as to what I was supposed to do. Then I grinned at Gwen and hurriedly followed Tosh from the room, closing the door behind me. She was walking at about a million miles an hour away from me and I was forced into a strange half run, half skip by the towering heels Jack had persuaded me to buy with promises that they would make my legs look longer. Sometimes I really do wonder about my Godfather.

"Hey, Tosh!" I called, trying to catch her attention and get her to slow down. She jumped as though she'd been a million miles away in a world of her own.

"Sorry… fancy a drink?" She asked. I nodded and linked my arm through hers, giving it a sympathetic squeeze.

x-x

As the DJ left with the glamorous woman he'd been chatting up, Tosh grinned at me. I groaned.

"How is that possible?" I demanded. "She was so far out of his league!"

"Maybe he's got a nice personality?" Tosh said, seeing the best in people as always. "But whatever it was, I won the bet. You have to get the drinks."

Sighing I got to my feet, Tosh giving me a little shove to help as I tottered forwards on my heels, and went to the bar.

"A spritzer and a vodka and coke, please." I ordered. The bar man nodded and went to make the drinks. My nose wrinkled slightly as my elbow touched a used paper napkin and I glanced down. Then my eyes widened and my mouth dropped open. On the napkin was a smear of blood. But it was black. "Tosh!" I hissed, calling her over.

Sensing my panic, she jumped to her feet and practically ran to my side. She glanced at where I was pointing before a look of horror crossed her face and she pulled me out of the bar and up the stairs. They listened at doors, trying to work out where the DJ and the woman… or whatever it was… had gone.

"_Hey, baby._" Banana said looking directly at Tosh. I growled softly, annoyed at his reappearance at such a critical moment. "_If you're looking for my room you've just passed it, mind._"

"_I'm not._" Tosh muttered. I scowled at him, pushing past roughly. "_And don't call me baby._"

"_So what shall I call you, then?_" He asked eagerly. He was following her like a lost puppy. "_Beautiful?_"

"Just piss off!" I snapped, in frustration. He glanced at me quickly before looking back at Tosh. While he'd been distracted, however, she'd moved getting him in an arm lock with his face pressed against the stone wall. He grunted with pain.

"_Don't call me anything, don't say anything._" She snapped. Before anything else could be said, all three of us heard a horrible screaming coming from somewhere along the corridor. Tosh dropped Banana's arm and pulled out her gun. "_Don't move._" She warned him.

I pulled my laser blaster from the hot pink clutch bag under my arm, much to the man's confusion, and Tosh and I headed in the direction of the noise. Outside the door we assumed hid the creature, she looked at me, silently counting down from three. Then Tosh burst into the room, her gun raised. I was just behind her, aiming my laser blaster directly at the woman sitting on the bottom of the bed re-applying her lipstick.

"_What have you done with him?_" Tosh demanded. My gaze flickered to the blood-stained bed sheets. There was no sign of a body until I looked past the woman. It was lying on the carpet all bloody and torn. My stomach flipped slightly at the sight.

"_What the hell is going on?_" A voice behind us asked. Both Tosh and I turned to look at the intruder and the creature took this as her chance. She punched Tosh, sending her crashing to the ground before taking out my legs and sending me down as well. Then she grabbed Banana by the throat, hoisting him into the air.

"_You're lucky._" She said. "_I'm watching my figure. But maybe I'll keep you for tea._"

She wrenched him down again, dragging him across the room. I took my chance and scrambled to my feet. With one final look at Tosh I sprinted along the corridor, slamming my way round corners until I found Gwen's room and burst in.

"Call… Jack…" I spluttered, trying to catch my breath. "She… got… Tosh…"

"Who? What?" Gwen demanded, leaping to her feet. I quickly tried to explain what had happened before she pulled me into her arms, hugging me tightly. "OK, you ring Jack, I'll…"

"You're not bloody going anywhere, Gwen!" I told her firmly. "YOU ring Jack and I'LL go and make sure she hasn't followed me."

Raising my laser blaster once more I crept to the door and pulled it open, peering out into the corridor. It was clear.

"Listen, they're on their way." Gwen said moving to stand behind me. "But I really need to go and find Rhys… Listen, I'll be fine, OK? You stay here and make sure it doesn't get you."

Reluctantly I let the woman past. She had a point. She needed to find Rhys and I needed to make sure the creature didn't find me.


	13. Wedding Bells 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Wedding Bells**

When it was time for Gwen to get changed, her mother appeared and I reluctantly left. I was unsure about leaving Gwen on her own, but I also didn't relish the idea of running into that thing on my own.

I headed downstairs, my laser blaster clutched tightly in my hand. As soon as I reached the door to the bar, I spotted the creature. Turning tail I headed back to the room I'd left Tosh and the best man in. Bursting through the door, my mouth dropped open. They were wrapped up in some kind of black web.

"Tosh!" I breathed, bounding over to the bed and trying to pull at the substance. It was rock solid and none of my attempts to break through it had any effect at all. "I can't…"

"What if it comes back?" Banana was muttering.

"Shut up and let me think!" I snapped, putting my hands to my temples and pacing backwards and forwards. "If I can –"

I jumped backwards as the door flew open, my gun pointing at the two figures who had just burst in. As I realised who they were I can honestly say I have never been more pleased to see Owen and Ianto in my life.

"_Tosh!_" Owen shouted, moving towards her at once. "_You OK?_"

"_Just get me out!_" She pleaded.

"Evie, you alright?" Ianto asked, checking me over quickly for obvious signs of injury.

I shook my head hurriedly. "I managed to get away before she grabbed me."

"Good… we'll take care of Tosh… you get down to Jack. They're in the main room. The wedding's started." He told me. Nodding I ran from the room, along the corridor and down the stairs.

"Where's the wedding?" I demanded, leaning over the reception desk. The woman pointed me in the direction and I sprinted away. I don't think I've ever run so fast in stilettos on a polished marble floor before or ever will again. Bursting through the door I realised that Jack, Gwen and Rhys were nowhere to be seen.

Breathing heavily I approached Gwen's mother and asked where they'd gone. After a long winded explanation she told me they'd gone up to the Bridal Suite so, with another sigh, I turned and sprinted back the way I'd just come. As I threw open the door to the suite, the three of them turned and fixed me with horrified expressions.

"Just me, don't worry." I gasped, doubling over to try and catch my breath. "Seriously, running in stilettos… I don't recommend it."

There was no chance for anyone to respond before a shrill screaming filled the air and we were off again, running back towards the room where Tosh and the others were. I suppose it's a good job I'm used to running, after all the adventures with the Doctor.

"_Ianto after the girl, I need this contained._" Jack ordered as we reached them. One of Gwen's bridesmaids had rushed past us outside in the corridor.

"_Jack!_" Owen called, alerting his boss to the body.

Rhys paled, seeing the corpse and all the blood. "_Oh god…_" he muttered. "_I want Gwen out of here now, Jack!_"

"_Jack, I've seen the shape shifter._" Tosh cut in. "_It's a woman, she's in black._"

"Brown, shoulder-length hair, gorgeous." I added.

Ianto obviously said something over the earpieces because Jack suddenly replied. "_OK, Ianto get to the SUV. Jam the phone lines… the last thing we need is someone calling the police._" Then he turned to the rest of them. "_Tosh,_ Evie, _you're with me; we'll find that woman in black. Gwen, Owen needs to operate now._"

"_I want Gwen safe, Jack, now!_" Rhys demanded.

Jack scowled. "_I want her safe too, Rhys, so we do what I say._"

There was a stand-off between the two men until Gwen reached for her fiancé's hand. "_Rhys, Jack knows what he's doing, darling, OK?_"

"_Look, if we run the Nostrovite will be waiting for us._" Jack told them seriously. "_And we're running out of time._"

"_What's the plan, Jack?_" Gwen asked, her voice shaking slightly.

Jack glanced at Owen, who raised his bag slightly. "_I've got an idea._"

"_Then I'm staying here, OK?_" Rhys told them firmly.

"_Fine._" Jack snapped. "_Tosh,_ Evie, _with me._"

As the three of us headed down the stairs once more, I shot a quick, questioning look at Tosh, who shrugged back and mouthed, 'I have no idea'. Perhaps it was some kind of fight over who was the Alpha Male in the situation.

"_MOVE!_" Jack shouted as the three of us ran into the middle of the wedding. If it hadn't been so serious I would have found the fact that I was running down the aisle at a wedding with my laser blaster raised quite amusing. "_I need everyone to stay calm and do exactly as I tell you._"

"_And who the hell are you?_" Rhys' dad demanded.

"_Torchwood._"

"_Gwen's Torchwood?_" Gwen's dad asked, stepping forwards. "_You mean you're real?_"

I glanced at Tosh, my eyes having fallen on the Nostrovite. Jerking my head towards her, Tosh followed my eye line and gave a sharp nod of her own head to signal that she understood.

"_Jack, there she is!_" She shouted loading her gun and taking aim. I mirrored her movements exactly, the green lights which ran along the top of my laser blaster pulsing gently. The Nostrovite whirled around, reverting to its true form.

Jack aimed his own gun. "_Everybody down!_" The three of us opened fire and the creature turned on her heels and fled, leaping through the window and sending shards of glass ricocheting around the room.

Instantly Jack, Tosh and I were on her tail. Jack leapt through the gap after her landing with a crush on the gravel outside. Tosh followed. As I rounded the corner, the heel on my left shoe snapped, sending me flying into the pane of glass beside the empty window.

x-x

"OI!" Jack shouted right in my ear. I groaned and swatted him away.

"Ten more minutes and then I'll get up." I muttered groggily. "I don't want to go to school..."

He grasped me by the arms and dragged me to my feet, giving me a sharp slap across my left cheek. Instantly my eyes snapped open and I glared at him. Then I looked around and down at myself, wearing a dress and a broken pair of hot pink stilettos. Suddenly I remembered.

Kicking off my shoes, which were now worse than useless, I followed him outside. "Where's Gwen?"

"She and Rhys ran for it. Our guns don't work on the Nostrovite. Both Gwen and Owen emptied their guns into it and nothing... nada. We need something bigger." He grabbed my hand and pulled me over to the SUV. The back was full of weapons. I felt like all my Christmases had come at once.

Expertly he began putting together a gun. A huge gun. It took almost no time at all and it was complete. Then he grinned, winked and grabbed my hand again, pulling me away over the lawn. They saw the Nostrovite heading into a barn type building and followed.

"_Rhys…_" It was saying in his mother's voice. "_You're a bad boy. And you know what bad boys get?_"

"NOW!" I whispered. Jack nodded and pulled the trigger.

There was a boom, a squelch and the Nostrovite exploded.

I screwed up my face, expecting that when I looked down I would be covered in the creature's disgusting black blood, just like Rhys was. But, to my delight there wasn't a speck of dirt on me at all.

"_How's that for a shape shift?_" Jack asked, resting the gun against his shoulder. I rolled my eyes, pushed past him and launched myself at Gwen.

"_Jack…_" She breathed, ignoring me completely.

"Are you alright?" I demanded, putting my palm on her mercifully flat stomach. She nodded, wordlessly.

"_Oh… that whole evil dead thing looks really good on you, Rhys._" Jack said with a grin as he passed him. Rhys seemed in too much shock to say anything; he just nodded and took several deep breaths. Then Jack went to Gwen, lifting her off the ground and hugging her. "_OK?_"

"_Yeah…_" She breathed, unable to tear her gaze from his face. There was no doubting the look that was passing between them; unrequited love at its worst. Awkwardly I glanced at Rhys, who hadn't missed the look either.

"_And…_" Jack joined Gwen and Rhys' hands. "_The hero always gets the girl._"

He walked away, leaving them together. Quickly I caught up, winding one of my arms around his waist. Instinctively he wrapped his arm around my shoulders and we walked in silence back up to the manor. I nestled my face into his chest, feeling his pain and heartbreak.

"I'm sorry, Jack." I muttered.

"Hey, what about?" He asked, falsely cheerful. "We saved them from being killed by a crazy mother, what is there to be sorry about?" I looked deep into his eyes and knew that he knew what I meant. He sighed and spoke in a more sombre tone. "Come on, let's find the others and let them know Gwen's safe."

x-x

As the wedding ceremony ended and Gwen and Rhys kissed, I leant my head on Jack's shoulder, lending him all the support I could. He rested his head on top of mine and I could feel him smiling.

It wasn't until later, when Jack, Owen, Tosh and I were sitting round a table watching the others dancing, that someone noticed that I was injured. Even I hadn't noticed until Tosh pointed out that there was a lump on my forehead. I raised my hand and felt a large bump and a cut.

Wincing, I felt my cheeks growing hot as I blushed. "Oh… my heel broke and…"

"She ran into a pane of glass and knocked herself out. Again." Jack elaborated, grinning. Everyone laughed, especially Owen. There was no way he was going to let this one drop anytime soon. Apparently I'm the only person who can run into a pane of glass and knock themselves out twice; it's just beyond stupid according to Owen.

"_You ready to see that dead man dance, Tosh?_" Owen asked. She grinned and nodded. "_C'mon._" As they moved to the dance floor I winked and she blushed.

That just left Jack and me sitting at the table. A couple of men had come and asked me to dance, but Jack's fiercely overprotective glare had quickly scared them away. His gaze was fixed on the new bride dancing with her new husband. I sighed.

"Come on. You might as well dance with me, seeing as you're not going to let anyone else." I told him, pulling him to his feet.

"What would your mother say if she found out you'd been in such close contact with strange men?" He asked, putting one hand on my waist and holding my hand tightly in the other.

I grinned. "You know River well enough to know that she'd probably be proud." He laughed and hugged me closer. I smiled and sighed. "You'll find someone special, Jack. I know you will. I promise you that."

"Will I now?" He asked, the false brightness back on his face as he twirled me around.

"You will." I told him seriously.

He smiled and let me go. "Perhaps you're right. River WOULD be proud." He turned and grabbed hold of a nearby boy, who looked a year or two older than me. "Here ya go!"

I opened my mouth to protest, but then I realised that the boy was incredbily good-looking and shut it again, smiling. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that Jack was dancing with Gwen and sighed. He really was a glutton for punishment.

Then the boy moved his hands lower, making me jump and bringing me firmly out of my day dream.

"I'm Evie," I told him with a grin, "Evie Song."

There wasn't much talking after that. My mother would have been so proud.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie closed her diary, glancing at the time. Yawning she pushed her diary back onto the shelf and stretched. The dress she'd worn to the wedding was hanging up on the outside of the wardrobe door and the shoes, complete with the broken heel, were placed neatly beneath it. <strong>_

_**With a smile she climbed into bed, wondering whether her mother would be back when she woke up.**_


	14. Flashback

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Flashback**

Age: 20

Location: TARDIS

Date: –

* * *

><p>With everything that's happened to me, I think the events of the last few days are right up there. It's been less than a week since Mum let slip that I am the Doctor's daughter. The Doctor is my father. I'm half Gallifreyan. I still can't get my head around it.<p>

So… the weirdness started just after the revelation.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Are you really telling this story, Evie?" River asked with a sigh. She jumped backwards as her daughter aimed a half-hearted kick at the woman's shins. <strong>_

"_**Yes." The girl said shortly. "Besides, how can you see what I'm reading from that angle?"**_

"_**Fabulous eyesight." Her mother replied calmly moving away.**_

* * *

><p>"You got my daughter pregnant?" Rory demanded glaring at the Doctor. The Time Lord gulped and backed away, his hands raised in surrender.<p>

"Ah… well… Rory…" He stammered.

Mum rolled her eyes, taking pity on him and stood up. She put her hands on her father's chest, holding him back. Still dressed in his centurion outfit Rory did look incredibly threatening.

"Calm down." She ordered. "The Doctor didn't know, either. It's his future self you have to blame. Save your punches for him."

The Doctor himself made an odd squeaking sound at Mum's words, glancing at her wide-eyed. Then he looked at me. It was my turn to go wide-eyed as I realised the implications of what Mum had just announced.

"Did you know?" He demanded of me. Slowly I shook my head. Believing me, he turned back to Mum and started bombarding her with questions.

With the four of them completely distracted by the information, I sneaked away, back to the TARDIS. As soon as I was inside with the doors closed once more, I slumped down onto the ground, totally exhausted by the wave of emotions that had bubbled up inside me. Taking several deep breaths I managed to calm myself down.

"So… old girl…" I muttered, jumping to my feet again and walking purposefully up the steps to the console. Running my hands over the controls I felt the time machine shudder slightly, responding to my touch. "Did you know about this, hmmm? Is that why you like me? How is it possible that I know so much, and yet nothing at all?" I paused, almost expecting the TARDIS to reply. Then I sighed, knowing it was impossible.

"Do you want to know?" A singsong female voice said in my head. Blinking, I looked around sharply. "Do you want to see?"

"Wha– Who's there?"

"It's me, little Evie." The voice continued. "So? Do you want to see?"

I narrowed my eyes warily. "See what?"

"The past… the present… the future…"

Before I could say anything there was an odd jolt. It felt like an electric current was passing through my body. Every inch of me tingled with static. For a brief moment my eyes were forced to close with the sharp, stinging pain of it.

As quickly as it had started the feeling stopped and another jolt passed through me; almost as though I was being released from whatever was causing the sensation. I jerked forwards, dropping to my knees with my head bowed. Taking a couple of steadying breaths I opened my eyes once more and looked up.

I was in the TARDIS. The old TARDIS. The Doctor stood in front of me, leaning backwards against the console and grinning at a blonde woman who was laughing happily. I froze on the spot, sure that they would notice me in a second.

"Now then, Rose Tyler." The Doctor said standing upright and moving around the console. "Where shall we go next?"

He walked straight at me. Surely he had seen me and would stop. The Doctor's face displayed no sign that this was the case and, as I gasped loudly, he walked straight through me. It was the oddest sensation in the world – like plunging into an ice-cold pond. For a moment he hesitated, turning to look at the space I occupied with a puzzled expression on his face. Then he shrugged and continued around the console.

"What's happening?" I demanded loudly. Neither the Doctor or Rose made any sign that they had heard me.

"You are seeing." The voice informed me, sounding incredibly pleased with herself. "Snapshots of time."

"Sna… but what does this have to do with me?"

"Well, nothing. But have you ever seen Rose Tyler before? She was important to your father."

"I know…" I muttered, turning to stare at the blonde. She was barely older than me; so happy and full of life.

As I stood, staring at her, the scene began to dissolve and I couldn't stop myself crying out in surprise. The TARDIS materialised around me once more. Still the old console room, but this time the Doctor was sitting on the chair beside the controls and a familiar red-head was standing at the console.

"No, NO!" The Doctor cried out, jumping to his feet and rushing to Donna's side. "Not that one… I told you before. DON'T touch that one!"

"Sorry, sorry!" She said, rolling her eyes. "That better, spaceman?" I grinned at Donna's words.

"Much." The Time Lord replied.

"D'you think she'll be alright?" Donna asked after a moment, glancing back at the Doctor who had taken his seat once more. He raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Martha?"

"Ah… she'll be fine." He said with a smile. "Martha Jones… can't believe she's getting married!"

"I can't believe you didn't notice her ring… you prawn!" The woman chuckled. Snorting with laughter at her choice of insult I moved to perch on the seat beside the Doctor. I quite liked the idea of observing him and Donna. It was bound to be amusing.

No sooner had I sat down, however, than the scene flipped once more. Pulling a face I sighed.

"Ohh… I was looking forward to that!" I said aloud. The voice in my head laughed.

"You'll find this much more interesting, I'm sure." It said lightly.

"Doctor?" A very familiar voice called from the other side of the door to the corridor.

Suddenly I was aware that I was standing very close to the Doctor but, before I could do anything about it he moved forwards and walked straight through me, sending the strange sensation through me once again. He, however, seemed too fixated on the person about to come through the door to notice anything out of the ordinary. I retreated to the chair, hoping I'd be safe from people walking through me if I was sitting down.

"River?" He called, just as the door opened and Mum walked into the console room. I gasped. She was HUGE.

"I want ice-cream, Doctor." She whined. He grinned and practically skipped past her, stopping only to drop a quick kiss on her forehead as he went. Mum made her way slowly to the chair and I managed to roll out of the way just before she sat on me.

"Woah…" I exclaimed, scrutinising her carefully. My eyes were glued to her swollen stomach, which she was rubbing gently. "Is that… me?"

"Who else would it be?" The voice laughed.

"You tell me…" I muttered as the door opened once more and the Doctor came in with a tub of ice-cream.

"So? Are we going to discuss names?" He asked, perching on the seat beside Mum and opening his mouth. She grinned and fed him some ice cream. "Personally I quite like Brynhildr."

Mum nearly choked on her mouthful of ice cream. "Brynhildr? You're joking, right?"

"No!" The Doctor looked affronted. "I knew a lovely woman called Brynhildr once… well, I say lovely… she started out lovely. These days everyone thinks she was just a character from mythology…"

"We are not calling our child Brynhildr." Mum said firmly, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, my love." The Doctor conceded easily, much to my relief. "Cordelia? Augustine? Tallulah?"

Mum glared at him, the spoon in her hand pausing half way to her mouth. "Are you actually being serious?"

"Y-yes?" He asked, slightly confused. I shook my head.

"In that case, I am not calling this baby any name that you come up with." She told him fiercely. "She's called Evie."

The Doctor considered for a moment, his head on one side. "Evie… Evie Song? Yeah… I like it." His face contorted for a second as Mum winced, rubbing her stomach. Then he relaxed, realising that the baby had just kicked. "Apparently she approves."

"She does indeed…" I muttered. "Much better than any of your choices, anyway."

"Ready to move on?" The voice asked in my head.

"Nice of you to ask this ti–" I started. Then the TARDIS rearranged itself once more. "Great, thanks."

The room was empty. For some reason that made me slightly wary. As did the sound of running footsteps coming towards the console room along the corridor. Suddenly the door flew open and Mum appeared, no longer pregnant, and giggled as she danced around the controls dressed in nothing but a large shirt; obviously one of the Doctor's. He appeared a split second later chasing her, laughing and wearing nothing but his boxers.

"I really don't want to see this…" I muttered.

"Come here!" The Time Lord ordered, coming to a halt at the console.

Mum laughed. "No way! You'll have to catch me first!"

"Seriously? Can I get out of here?" I demanded.

The Doctor leapt forwards, his hand tightening around Mum's wrist and he pulled her backwards, spinning her around and kissing her passionately. Quickly he hoisted her up onto the console, his hands on her face as her legs wrapped round his waist.

"I love you…" He murmured as they broke apart for a moment. She smiled and returned the sentiment, before her hands were in his hair once more and their lips reconnected.

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" I yelled, really not wanting to see where this was heading. I had a good idea and there was no way I was planning on seeing it.

To my immense relief, the scene changed once more and I was alone in the TARDIS again. Not that this reassured me much, who knew what was coming next. I waited. For a couple of minutes there was nothing; just complete silence.

"So? You've seen your beginning. Does it make things clearer?" The voice asked.

"Am I back?" I muttered out loud.

"Yes."

"Good… I don't think I could have dealt with seeing anymore." I admitted with a shudder. "Did I really need to see that last one? I think I'll be having nightmares for weeks."

The voice laughed. "You were questioning your beginnings… I showed you them. You were born out of love, Evie. Not everyone can say that."

I paused for a moment. "I suppose… but why show me Donna… and Rose?"

"They made the Doctor who he is. They helped shape him, along with so many others. And so, they helped make you who you are."

"Who are you?" I demanded looking around. "Where are you?"

"I'm all around you, little Evie." The voice laughed gently. "I am the TARDIS."

I gasped, putting my hand on the console. It pulsed gently, the lights flashing at my touch. "Hello… I never –"

"Evie?" Mum called, the doors of the TARDIS bursting open. I whirled round as Mum, the Doctor, Rory and Amy all burst in. She sighed with relief. "Why did you wonder off? We thought…"

Covering the distance between the doors and the console in record time she flung herself at me, hugging me tightly. I found that I couldn't look her in the eye. Nor could I look at the Doctor without blushing.

"What's wrong?" She demanded, holding me at arm's length and staring into my face. I felt myself going scarlet. I was used to her behaviour, but this was something different. I was about to reply 'nothing' but I knew that wouldn't convince her. Mum could read me like a book.

"The TARDIS took me on a little trip through my past…" I said with a grim smile. "I'm glad you overruled him on the name choices. But I don't think I'm EVER going to be able to touch those controls again." I told them pointedly.

Now it was the Doctor's turn to blush. He and Mum understood exactly what I meant. Rory and Amy glanced between us in confusion. They looked even more bewildered when the three of us suddenly jumped into action, moving around the console room and avoiding eye contact with each other.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Evie…" River muttered as her daughter closed the diary. "Are we OK?"<strong>_

"_**Mmmm?" The girl murmured, looking up confused. "What d'you mean?"**_

"_**After what the TARDIS showed you? I mean… that's something you should never have seen."**_

"_**Too right..." She agreed moving to put her dairy on the shelf beside her mother's. Thoughtfully she stroked the spine of the older, scruffier, fuller book. With a deep sigh, she turned back to face the older woman. "But I've seen so much that people should never see."**_

_**She smiled and fell into River's arms, clinging to her tightly. River kissed the top of her daughter's head, closing her eyes in contentment.**_


	15. Exploding Toaster

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Exploding Toaster**

Age: 12

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: August 2044

* * *

><p>I hate my Mum sometimes. And the Doctor. And Uncle Jack.<p>

But most of all I hate them dumping me at Gran and Gramps's house so they can go off on adventures and have fun.

I love Gran and Gramps and I love staying with them. But I don't like Mum and Jack and the Doctor leaving me behind because they think whatever they're about to do is too dangerous.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Well that's because it is, most of the time." Amy said, peering over her granddaughter's shoulder.<strong>_

_**Evie turned around to glare at her grandmother, hiding what she was writing. "You're just like Mum! You're so nosy!" She complained.**_

"_**She had to get it from somewhere!" Amy agreed. "Alright, alright, I'm going!"**_

_**The girl waited until the middle-aged woman, her hair still a vivid red, retreated from the room smiling. Then she returned to her diary.**_

* * *

><p>But whenever I'm here I manage to get into trouble. Last time it was because I accidentally super-glued Gramps' head inside a bucket. The time before that it was because I left one of my roller-skates on the stairs and he fell and broke his leg… and his arm. Before that I dropped a bowling ball on his foot and broke his desk chair so that he fell backwards out of it.<p>

Poor Gramps.

He never tells me off though. He only ever rolls his eyes, sighs and says, 'I suppose she was always going to be a disaster-zone. I mean, just look at her parents.' Then Gran nudges him in the ribs and changes the subject before I can ask what he means.

Anyway, at lunchtime we were sitting in the hospital again. It wasn't really my fault this time. Well, it was, but I did warn him not to turn on the toaster. Gran had mentioned that it wasn't working properly so I tried to fix it. It was quite easy really, just a matter of reconnecting several wires that had come loose and created a short circuit within the casing. Then I decided to see if I could improve it slightly by boosting the power. I had just popped out to grab some converters from the shed, when Gramps felt peckish and put some toast on. The next thing we knew there was a massive explosion and a Gramps shaped white mark on the wall, soot framing it.

"Oops…" I muttered as Gran helped him to his feet, rolled her eyes and ordered me into the car.

On the way home, Gramps started the usual 'typical Evie' speech and Gran shushed him, glancing at me in the rear view mirror. She changed the topic of conversation quickly, starting to tell me about the time she, Gramps and the Doctor had met vampire fish in Venice. Occasionally she would stop and correct herself quickly and I knew that she was making sure she didn't tell me anything I shouldn't know. I was used to everyone doing this. Even at twelve I am well aware of Mum and the Doctor's 'spoilers'.

"Go and try and find something to do that won't lead to me having to take your Grandfather to hospital." Gran ordered. "I swear they're going to start thinking I'm beating him up or something."

Sighing, as though she'd just ordered me to spend the afternoon doing extra chores or something, I went outside into the garden and swung myself up into the tree house Gramps and I had built when I was six. It was an adventurous project; a central pod with a balcony running around the edge. There were windows in the pod and an opening and closing door. Gran had even made curtains for it.

I climbed up onto the roof, sitting cross-legged and absentmindedly shredding the leaves on the nearest branch. Remembering the month I'd spent here and we'd built the tree house also reminded me of the injuries Gramps had sustained. I'd made him jump and he'd hammered his thumb. Then he'd tripped over me and fallen to the ground. I didn't secure the rope ladder properly and it came away as he climbed it, falling once more through the air. All in all he ended up in hospital about ten times while we built it.

Mum had defended me, saying that it was Gramps who was accident prone, not me that was unlucky. Apparently he'd died and come back to life more than once while they were travelling with the Doctor. And anyway, nothing ever happens to me unless I'm with Gramps. Well, not usually. OK, it does quite a lot, but it's mainly when I'm with Gramps.

As I was sitting on the roof of the tree house, I spotted something high above me in the sky. It looked like a tiny speck, falling. Narrowing my eyes I watched as it grew bigger and bigger as it came closer and closer. Finally, with a thud and a hiss it crashed into the lawn below me. A medium-sized grey lump of rock, not much bigger than a football, had created a small crater in my grandparents back garden.

Jumping down from the roof, I slid down the ladder and approached it carefully. Gran, who'd been watching me through the kitchen window, appeared in the doorway.

"Don't you DARE touch that, Evie Song." She warned, hurrying towards me and taking hold of my hand, pulling me backwards.

"But what is it?" I demanded, leaning forwards to get a closer look. Gran's grip on me tightened.

"Amy? Evie?" Gramps shouted, emerging from his garage and rushing towards us. Gran let go of me as he approached and I assumed he would stop beside her. I moved away slightly, looking hard at the rock. It's dark grey colour was tinged with purple streaks. "ARGH!"

I looked up to see Gramps barrelling past me and tripping over the rock. As his foot kicked it, the object exploded, billions of tiny particles surging through the air. They grouped together before forming into a face. My eyes nearly popped out of my head.

"You have released us." The face said; it's 'voice' a high, screeching scream. We all winced at the sound. "We shall multiply, separate, divide."

Without thinking I turned and sprinted towards the shed. Rummaging around for something that could help, my eye fell on a large glass jar with a screw top. I grinned and grabbed it, rushing back to my Grandparents and removing the lid. The particles were still hanging in the air, making the same screeching sound.

"GOTCHA!" I shouted, scooping them into the jar and putting the lid on before they could escape.

Screwing the lid on tightly, I held the jar up looking inside at the particles. They were glowing softly. Without warning the jar began to vibrate, getting stronger and stronger until my arms were physically being jerked by the force of it. Gran grabbed the jar from me, holding it tightly as it seemed to be doing its best to escape from her grasp.

"Put it down!" Rory ordered, running to the shed and returning with a large sheet of polythene.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Amy demanded, pulling a face.

"Just do it!" Her husband commanded urgently.

She did as she was told and he wrapped the plastic sheet around it. The jar continued to shake violently for a while before it gradually subsided. The three of us watched it, standing in silence. Gramps put his arm around Gran's shoulder and she did the same to me, holding me tight.

When it finally stopped moving, I glanced up at them. "Is it dead?"

Shrugging, she moved past me to crouch in front of the jar. Without warning there was a crack and the particles exploded into a bright purple goo. We glanced at each other, before all three of us bent down to get a closer look. Before our eyes the goo vanished into thin air.

"Well…" Gran said, straightening up and shaking her head. "That's that. No..." She stopped Gramps lifting up the plastic sheet. "Leave that until the Doctor comes… he'd better check it out."

"Is it gone?" I asked, tilting my head and staring at it.

"Mmmhmm…" She replied, not completely convinced by the sound of it. I glanced quickly at her, but she just smiled and put her arm round me, pulling me through the kitchen door. "Now… your Mum should be here in about an hour… just time to bake a cake?"

"Chocolate fudge?" I asked eagerly, my eyes lighting up. Gran's chocolate fudge cake was the best ever.

She laughed. "If you want, baby."

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Oh, she didn't feed you chocolate fudge cake did she?" River asked, groaning as she read the last line her daughter had written. Evie dropped her pen and whirled around.<strong>_

"_**Mum!" She said, hugging her tightly. "You're back."**_

"_**Of course I am, sweetie." River laughed. "Did you ever doubt it?" She took in the expression on Evie's face and frowned slightly. "Really?"**_

_**The twelve-year-old grinned and pushed her mother gently. "No! 'course I didn't you idiot!" **_

"_**Don't call me an idiot, young lady." The woman said, arching an eyebrow. "Now… what's all this my Mother's just told me about you blowing up your Grandfather with a toaster?"**_


	16. Crash and Burn

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Crash and Burn**

Age: 19

Location: The Third Roman Empire, Nevastine System

Date: 21 BC

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Sometimes I really wish you had a longer name." River snapped as they sprinted through the streets of the city.<strong>_

"_**Why?" Evie asked, breathless as she tried keep up with her mother's pace. River's legs were longer than her daughter's so the girl had to run faster to stay with her.**_

"_**Because then I could use it to show just how annoyed I am!"**_

_**The teenager pulled a face and glanced over her shoulder. "Look… it's not too bad?" Her words were more of a question than a statement. **_

_**Glancing back as well, River frowned. Looking back the way they had come, they saw people rushing around trying to control the flames that were licking at the market stalls that lined the stone streets. The older woman growled at her daughter and dragged her hastily away.**_

"_**Just remember to write that when you put this in your diary. Maybe we'll start believing it after a while."**_

* * *

><p>I hadn't been back long after my adventure in the Time Loop. Mum had mainly been confining me to the Stormcage cell, I think in some kind of attempt to keep me safe. Occasionally she would pop out on one of her missions, returning some time later flushed with adrenaline.<p>

Finally I persuaded her to let me accompany her on one of these little trips. Mum had been reading a book about the Lost Jewels of Princess Deguara of the Third Roman Empire and was eager to get her hands on them. She was sure she could get a good price for them, either on the black market or at the Maldovarium – whichever offered her more money.

She held out her hand and I took it. Smiling she pressed a button on her Vortex Manipulator and we rushed through time and space. My legs almost buckled as my feet landed on stone, but Mum's arm was there to steady me.

"Welcome to the Third Roman Empire!" She said, gazing around in awe.

I looked around. It looked exactly the same as the Roman Empire I was familiar with; the one studied by school children and the one I'd visited during my childhood. Gramps had a lot of affection for the Romans.

The only difference between that Roman Empire and this was that everyone milling around the market place was purple. Their skin was pale purple and their hair was bright purple. Every single one of them was the same.

"Wow…" I breathed. Mum laughed and started wandering through the crowds, pulling me with her.

We moved slowly, browsing through the items for sale. Some were familiar and others were completely new. I was particularly distracted by a large metal circle with intricately carved patterns around the outside and a reflective centre. Mum rolled her eyes when she noticed what I was staring at.

"That's a mirror." She pointed out. "Stop being so vain and let's get on with this."

"Get on with what, exactly?" I asked, pouting and tilting my head to one side. She laughed at me and I pouted even more, putting my hands on my hips and flipping my hair over one shoulder. A passing man whistled and shot me a wink. "I know we're looking for the Deguara Jewels, but where do we start looking?"

Mum glared at the man who had whistled at me, grabbing my wrist and pulling me round the side of the stall and a little way down an alleyway. Pulling out her computer device, she tapped the screen quickly and a high pitched beep was emitted. Jumping, she hastily pressed a button on the side and reduced the volume to a tolerable level. Then she aimed it in the direction it was indicating and grinned.

We set off at a brisk walk. Mum's eyes were glued to the screen in her hand so I was left to make sure she didn't walk into anyone or anything. Apparently it was what she was determined to do, so I kept one hand permanently on her arm ready to pull her out of harm's way.

The device led us through the market and out the other side. We went through a square and around – almost through in Mum's case – a fountain and started up a dusty mountain track. I groaned, looking at the gradient and the height. I was really hoping Princess Deguara hadn't been determined enough that her jewels would be hidden that she'd taken them right to the top.

"How much further?" I moaned about half way up the mountain. Mum ripped her gaze away from the screen to look at me. Then she glanced upwards.

"See that cave up there?" She asked, pointing way into the distance. I squinted, before nodding. "Well there."

"There?" I groaned. It was practically at the top of the mountain.

"Mmmhmmm… then we have to follow the tunnel inside to the inner chamber."

"EURGH."

Mum laughed and returned her attention to the computer in her hand. We walked. And walked. And walked. We walked until I thought my legs were about to fall off. Running with the Doctor was one thing; it may be energetic and often a matter of life or death, but at least it was generally over quickly. And the adrenaline rush from knowing that if you were caught it couldn't be good news gave you an extra energy boost. This walking lark had already lasted for more than an hour and didn't seem to be coming to an end anytime soon.

We finally arrived at the cave. Quick scans assured Mum that the area was safe and she led the way inside. The faint dripping of water, our footsteps and the sound of breathing were the only sounds that broke the silence. Inside the cave it was pitch black. Luckily Mum is always prepared and threw me a small torch.

Switching it on, I looked around moving the beam into every nook and cranny looking for possible signs of danger. There was nothing but rock and the occasion small, dripping waterfall. Underfoot was a fine layer of gravel, almost like the rocks had been worn away to a powder.

"This way…" Mum whispered. She shot me a reassuring smile and turned sideways to squeeze through a narrow gap. Unquestioningly I followed her, like I always have and always will. Well, almost always. Sometimes I think it does her good to have to deal with a little opposition.

On the other side of the narrow gap the space got bigger again. We made our way carefully through the darkness. Although she had the computer which was showing us the route, I went first with Mum following. I tripped and nearly sprawled headfirst onto the ground but her hand flew out and grabbed the back of my jacket just in time, keeping me upright.

"Ta…" I muttered, making up my mind to shine the torch on the ground ahead of me and concentrate where I was stepping rather than looking around. The floor was suddenly much more uneven, large rocks making up a sort of path through the chamber.

"We're almost there." Mum told me in little more than a whisper. "Almost…"

Something glinted in the light from my torch and I gave a little cry of surprise. Immediately Mum was pushing past me and rushing towards whatever it was. As soon as I reached her side I saw that it was a small, wooden box. The reflection had been caused by the gold banding around the wood.

"Is that it?" I asked, reaching out towards it.

Mum grabbed my hand. "Yes. Let me check for traps." The computer beeped as she moved it over the box. Her face fell slightly and she groaned.

"What? What is it?" I demanded tensely.

"Hang on… if I can just reverse the base… justify the anti… invert the main…"

Rolling my eyes I exhaled sharply. "I really wish you would talk in full sentences."

"Not enough time." She replied with a quick grin. "Ahh!" I jumped at the sound she made. "Gotcha!"

"You've done it?"

She grinned. "I've done it!"

Taking my hand she grabbed the box and pressed the button on her vortex manipulator. There was a split second of whirling colours before our feet touched down in the alleyway just off the market square again. The second we moved out into the open, a commotion started.

"That's the one!" A man was shouting. He was also pointing directly at me. "That's her!"

Several large, burly men began sprinting towards us. Without hesitating, Mum and I turned and weaved our way expertly through the crowds of people milling about. There were shouts and screams as we barrelled into people in our haste to escape. Curses followed us through the streets. The exit was in sight.

"What did you do this time?" Mum demanded, leaping to the left as I dodged to the right around a stone column.

"Nothing!" I shouted back with a shrug.

"Did you nick that mirror?" She asked. I said nothing, just looking at her with wide, innocent eyes. "Sometimes I really hate you!"

"No you don't!" I told her with a grin. Mum shook her head, trying not to smirk.

Just as I thought we were about to break free of the busy market place, a cart appeared out of nowhere directly in front of me. Mum skidded to a halt on the other side staring back at me in horror. I slammed into the side of the cart, almost knocking myself out. Dazed, I staggered to my feet, before slumping sideways slightly and knocking over a large lantern.

Immediately the surrounding wood and straw burst into flames creating a barrier between me and the men who'd been chasing us. They stopped abruptly, shouting at the sight of such a ferocious fire. It swept through the market engulfing everything.

"EVIE! MOVE!" Mum screamed, noticing that I was standing completely still, frozen to the spot in horror. At her words I burst into action, pushing past the stunned cart driver and catching up with her quickly. She grabbed my hand and dragged me with her. "Why do you always cause havoc, Evie Song?"

"It wasn't my fault!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Let's Kill Hitler? ERK?**_


	17. Spring in London

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Spring in London**

Age: 22

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: Spring (March-ish) 2005

* * *

><p>I was bored. Isn't that how all my adventures with the Doctor begin? But this time I was SUPER bored. Mum and Dad had gone off somewhere… they had offered for me to go with them this time, but I know what they're like when they're together at this stage in his timeline. NO THANK YOU. Besides, Mum had muttered something about the Antique Bazaars on Shamilique and all the interesting bargains she would no doubt pick up there. That made up my mind. Going to the Antique Bazaars last time had not ended well.<p>

Instead, I decided to go on a trip of my own. The Doctor had once mentioned something about London in spring 2050 and I decided that now was the time for that one. Hastily I got changed and tapped the co-ordinates into my Vortex Manipulator, vanishing through time and space.

When I arrived I looked around, a little confused. This was definitely London and, by the feel of it, it was definitely Spring. But I was convinced that it wasn't 2050. Everything was far too… retro.

Glancing at my wrist told me what had happened. In my haste I had entered 2005, rather than 2050. Sighing I shook my head and looked around. Decisively I took several steps forwards; while I was here I might as well have a look around. I'd never been to 2005 before. It could be fun.

For a fifty-first century girl, wandering around twenty-first century London was a bit of a culture shock. Although, obviously, I'd been to enough different times and places before not to be terrified and also to have a good understanding of everything, it was still a little odd observing things like this. I'd also never really had the opportunity to just wander around central London before and be a tourist.

"Hey, love, big issue?" A man to my right called. I glanced over at him, huddled in a shop doorway with a small, scruffy looking dog and shrugged apologetically.

"Sorry, mate. I've got no money." I turned out the pockets of my jeans to demonstrate that I was telling the truth. He didn't look a hundred per cent convinced, but turned his attention to several wealthy looking men in pinstriped suits instead.

I turned the corner quickly and my heart seemed to stop. In front of me was a large, blue police box. Grinning broadly, I launched myself towards it and skidded to a halt just outside. Laying my hands on the wooden doors, I could feel the TARDIS humming a greeting. My key was in the lock before I even had to think about what I was doing and then the doors were opened and I saw…

A man in a leather jacket staring at me in shock.

"Who are you?" He asked.

"Who are you?" I repeated, almost like a parrot.

"I'm the Doctor." The man told me, taking several steps away from the console. "How did you get in?"

I grinned, holding up my key. "How do people generally get through locked doors? When they haven't got the luxury of a sonic screwdriver, that is."

As he stared, completely dumbfounded, at me I had the chance to scrutinise him carefully. While Mum had photos of all his faces, I had never met the Doctor before his tenth regeneration; until now. Judging by the looks of things this was the ninth Doctor; I recognised the leather jacket and tough, almost skin-head, look. Apparently I'd just re-written history by meeting him one incarnation too early.

"But… who are you? How do you have a key and how do you know about the sonic screwdriver?" He demanded.

"Where's Rose?" I asked, glancing around for the blonde and deliberately avoiding his questions. "She hiding?"

"Rose?" He sounded confused. Then a look of comprehension crossed his face. "Ah… blonde, pretty?"

"That's the one. I met her once… actually, no, I didn't. But I've heard a lot about her." I said, frowning as I remembered that I hadn't actually met her. The Doctor had spoken about her so often that it felt like I knew her. And I've seen an echo of her once, thanks to the TARDIS.

Then I suddenly realised something… The man standing in front of me – the man who clearly had no idea who I was or what was going on – was my father. Instantly I realised that this wasn't such a good idea at all. It was wrong; so, so wrong. It was painful.

"I only met Rose this evening…" He said slowly, staring at me through narrowed eyes, before demanding for the third time, "Who are you?"

"Me? I'm no one important. But Rose, she is… you need to find her. She's in trouble. And when you find her… don't let her go." I advised him, imputing the coordinates for Stormcage into my Vortex Manipulator.

"You seem… familiar." The ninth Doctor said, folding his arms and putting his head on one side to scrutinise me.

I smirked, pressing the button on the device around my wrist. "Really? That's strange." I said as I felt myself being pulled into the Vortex.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Evie, Evie, Evie!" River singsonged as she burst through the doors of the just-materialised blue box in the corridor of the prison corridor. "Just LOOK what your father bought you."<strong>_

_**The girl got to her feet, sliding her diary onto the book shelf and wandered lazily towards the cage doors, which the Doctor thoughtfully soniced open for her. He was leaning lazily against the side of the TARDIS smiling at her fondly. River, by the looks of her, had been on the Shamiliquen cider again. Evie sighed, shaking her head.**_

"_**Go on then, what is it?" She asked, moving to stand beside her Dad and leaning against him. His arm instinctively moved around her waist, hugging her tightly.**_

"_**It's… it's… what is it, again?" River asked, looking up from the small metal box nestled on her palm to fix the Doctor with a confused look.**_

"_**It's a dream box." He told her with a sigh, taking the object and holding it up. "If you sleep with this under your pillow it'll catch your dreams and store them away safely. Then you can play them back later."**_

"_**Really?" Evie asked interestedly, taking the silver cube and looking at it closely. "Thanks… and Dad? You look better with longer hair. Oh, and do you still have that leather jacket? It would look so good with my new boots…" **_

_**River and the Doctor exchanged a bemused glance as their daughter moved back into the cell and sat on her bed, examining the dream box closely. Sometimes they thought they would never understand half the things she said.**_


	18. Double Trouble

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Double Trouble**

Age: 21

Location: Baxon Theer, Ixius Cascade

Date: 3072

* * *

><p>"Now…" The Doctor said, jumping across the console room. "Your mother is ill."<p>

"She has a cold." I sighed. "She's hardly dying." He shot me a look that clearly indicated that he wasn't impressed by my lack of concern for the woman's health. That man seriously had no idea how resilient Mum was. You'd have thought after all these years he'd have realised that something like a cold wouldn't hold River Song back.

"Whatever… you and I, Evie Song… we're going to Baxon Theer to get Hiller Berries."

"Eh?" I asked, confused. I'd never heard of Baxon Theer, let alone Hiller Berries.

The Doctor grinned, moving round the controls and manipulating them to take us to this unknown planet. Then he launched into a story about the forests of Baxon Theer which covered the entire planet.

"The Baxons live in tree houses." He said excitedly, pausing to peer at me over the top of the control panel. "They're herbivores… look a lot like monkeys if I'm honest – but don't ever tell them that. They live off the berries and nuts and plants that grow in the forests. They even use them as medicine; hence the fact that we're going looking for Hiller Berries."

I grinned, leaning against the TARDIS console watching him. His enthusiasm was infectious. "So, what are these berries then? What do they do?"

"They reduce fevers and keep body temperature constant." He told me, pulling up the landing lever and bringing us to a shuddering halt.

"It's a cold, Dad." I said with a sigh. "Mum's not that ill."

He glared at me again, before rushing towards the doors. I followed and closed them behind me. The Doctor was striding away through the trees which, I couldn't deny, were thick and completely surrounded us just as the Doctor had said they would.

"Fine, fine!" I conceded, skipping after him and slipping my arm through his. "Come on then, let's go get these berries… not that Mum will appreciate you fussing over her."

Grinning, the Doctor obviously decided to ignore my warning and we walked further into the trees. After about half an hour, I stopped, pulling on the Time Lord's arm and making him come to a halt as well.

I couldn't see any difference between where we were and where we'd come from. Everything looked exactly the same. We were lost.

"Dad!" I exclaimed as the truth dawned on him as well. He shot me a guilty look and rubbed his head as he tried to work out a plan of action. "Every single time!"

"Sorry, sorry…" He muttered, plucking at his bowtie as he did when he was particularly nervous. For some reason this annoyed me even more and I sat down on a tree stump, pulling my knees up to my chin and wrapping my arms around them.

It seemed to take him a long time to work out what we should do next. With my forehead resting on my knees I was almost asleep when he jumped up from his own tree stump and cried out. Shocked, I almost toppled sideways.

"What? What is it?" I demanded, leaping to my feet and craning my head in an attempt to follow his gaze. He seemed to be staring at something in the distance, above the trees. At first I had no idea what he was seeing. But then I saw it.

Smoke was raising high above the canopy of the forest, billowing in black clouds. I have absolutely no idea how we'd managed to miss it. Unless it hadn't been there very long. But if that was the case, what had caused the smoke? An explosion? So why hadn't we heard anything?

I glanced up and saw my father's face. I knew that expression very well. He was sensing an adventure.

"Oh, Evie, Evie, Evie…" He muttered, glancing at me. "Forget the berries, this is far more interesting."

Rolling my eyes I followed him as he started off through the trees in the direction of the smoke cloud. It was a lot nearer than it looked. Within about ten minutes the air became thick with smoke. I coughed as my lungs grew accustomed to the change in atmosphere. The Doctor shot me a look, checking that I was alright, and I nodded sharply.

Together we moved forward. A large shape filled a small, unusual clearing between the trees. It was metallic silver and the shape of an upturned cone, pointing up to the sky, but with a rounded bottom. Dad stepped forward even closer to the object, running his hand over the smooth surface. I walked to his side, placing my own hand on the metal. To my immense surprise it was boiling hot rather than cold, as I had been expecting. Quickly I retracted my hand, shaking it to try and cool it down.

"What –" I started. My voice died away as a panel on the side began to flash. An odd whirring sound filled our ears and the side of the object started rising up. Despite my usual calm in the face of strange – or even dangerous – goings on, as it began opening I gave a most uncharacteristic shriek and leapt backwards into the Doctor.

Automatically he stepped in front of me, shielding me from whatever was about to emerge from the pod. Peering round him carefully, the first thing I noticed was a pair of heavy, army-like boots descending a step of metal steps. The boots were followed by a pair of black, skinny jeans. Next came a red t-shirt and finally a face. A pale, female face framed with blonde hair.

The Doctor gasped.

"Hello, Dad." She said, grinning at the Doctor.

My Doctor.

MY Dad.

"Jenny…" He murmured, sounding totally shocked by the girl's presence. I, rather than being shocked, was furious.

"Who the hell are you?" I demanded, pushing Dad out of the way and glaring at the girl with my hands on my hips. She looked around the same age as me, but the innocent smile on her face made her seem so much younger.

"I'm Jenny." The blonde said, leaping down the last couple of steps and holding out her hand for me to shake. I looked at it for a second and then looked back at her face, not moving. "I'm the Doctor's daughter."

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks. "No you're bloody not." I snapped, narrowing my eyes.

"I am." She assured me, still smiling.

"No."

At the same time, we both turned to the Doctor and said, "Dad?"

Then I looked at her and she looked at me. Her eyes widened a little, giving her the appearance of a startled Barbie doll. In fact, with her blonde hair, blue eyes, pink lips and pale skin she did resemble a doll. I was the complete opposite to her, with my dark hair, green eyes and constantly slightly-tanned skin. Then again, I looked more like Mum – apart from the hair colour. Maybe she looked like her mother.

Then I shook my head.

"Dad!" I repeated, grabbing his arm and shaking him until he responded. "What is she on about?"

"Evie…" He murmured his eyes taking in my face. Then he glanced at the girl. "Jenny… I thought you were dead?"

"I was. But then I wasn't. I think the terraforming device must have brought me back to life like it brought life to that planet." She told him. There was a split second where he just looked at her and she looked back. And then he wrapped her up in his arms and spun her around joyfully.

I clenched my jaw, jealousy pulsing through me like my blood. It consumed me completely, spiking out to every single inch of my body. I narrowed my eyes, pouted and put my hands on my hips. I knew I looked like a spoilt child, but I really didn't care.

"OI!" I screamed at the top of my lungs. Maybe I _had_ been spending too much time with Donna Noble. It certainly got their attention though. The Doctor put Jenny down and turned guiltily to face me. Raising an eyebrow I tapped my foot. "What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Ahh… Evie, this is Jenny. She's your sister. Sort of." The Doctor said weakly.

"I have a sister?" Jenny squealed, apparently overjoyed at the idea. What was with this girl? Everything seemed to make her happy. Immediately she bounded past the doctor and threw her arms around me. When I stayed stiff and didn't respond, she let go and backed away confused, throwing looks to the Doctor.

"Play nice, Evie…" He said.

"Play… PLAY NICE?" I erupted. Jenny jumped, as did the Doctor. "Did you cheat on my Mum? Does she KNOW about her?"

The Doctor nodded. "She does. But she thought Jenny was dead, as did I."

"Well she's not, is she?"

"Evie… calm down." He ordered me. I just glared back. Sighing, the Doctor evidently decided he was going to have to explain everything to me. "Donna and Martha were both with me on a planet called Messaline. It was caught up in a civil war between humans and a race called the Hath. To keep up with all the soldiers they lost, they used a device to take a sample of my skin. They used my diploid cells, split them into haploids and viola…" he flourished his hands towards Jenny.

Gradually I was calming down. "So she was born in a machine?"

"Technically, yes." The Doctor said. "Well… she wasn't born like you were. She stepped out of the machine looking exactly like that."

"OK." I said, taking a deep breath. Things with the Doctor were never simple and, if it had happened like he said then I can't really blame Jenny. Or him. Besides, I can always check with Donna that he was telling the truth. "So I have a sister."

"So we're friends?" Jenny asked brightly.

I looked at her carefully, before allowing my lips to twitch into a smile and nodding. "Alright… but I'm not sharing my room with you."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie pushed her diary under her pillow in her bedroom on the TARDIS. She could hear the sound of laughter coming from the console room where River, the Doctor and Jenny were. Jealousy bubbled up inside the brunette once more. Clenching her fists, she tried to suppress it, knowing that it was completely unfair. <strong>_

_**This change in circumstances was going to take a lot of getting used to.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you so SO much to everyone who's reading/reviewing/subscribing/favouriting etc. Still. THANKS GUYS! And all you lovely people who are reading and not saying hello… please leave a comment and let me know what you think! It would mean a lot. If you don't want to, that's OK I suppose… as long as you're enjoying it! :D**_

_**Also, if you've got any prompts or anything let me know! I've got several more chapters ready and waiting to be uploaded, but then I'm gonna need to start some new entries! If you've got anything you'd like to read, let me know and I'll see what I can do! :D**_


	19. One Candle 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: One Candle**

Age: 23

Location: Chiswick, England, Earth

Date: November 2012

* * *

><p>I was running late, as always. But I was also in a brilliant mood. It was the day of my goddaughter's first birthday party. Apart from that I got to see Donna, my best friend, and her family.<p>

Mum laughed as I got ready. Bouncing between the rooms of our new house I completely forgot where I'd put Zoe's presents.

"Seriously, sweetie, you'd forget your head if it wasn't attached." She sighed, pulling open the drawers of a cabinet in the corner of the room and handing me a gift bag. "Here… I put my present and card in as well. Hopefully your father will manage to get there on time and remember he should have got her a present."

I pulled a face, showing that I wasn't sure that was totally possible. "Really?"

"If he hasn't remembered," Mum said, smirking, "I've written his name on my card and the present can be from both of us." I laughed, grabbing the gift bag and starting to input the coordinates for Sylvia and Wilf's house into my Vortex Manipulator. "Wait!" Mum commanded, grabbing my arm before rushing into the hall.

"What?" I asked, sighing and glancing at the time. Even though it didn't really matter what time I left, because I could arrive whenever, I don't like jumping around too much… spatial/temporal jet lag is a killer.

"You're going to London in November. You need a jacket." She fussed. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm twenty-three, mother."

Mum grinned and put her hands on my cheeks, squeezing them together. "But you're still my baby!"

"Fine, fine!" I told her exasperatedly, grabbing the jacket she'd laid on the sofa. It was the black, leather one Dad had worn in his ninth regeneration. Wearing it made me feel like he was constantly hugging me. "I'll take the damn coat!"

The last thing I heard as I dematerialised was her amused laughter and the words, "Have fun, sweetie!"

The Nobles house was full of people when I rang the doorbell moments later. Wilf opened the door and, before I could even open my mouth to greet him, he had pulled me into a tight hug and was propelling me through the house.

"Donna? Donna!" He shouted, peering into the living room before continuing on to the kitchen, holding my hand tightly and dragging me behind him. "Evie's here."

There was a shriek and Donna came flying out of a crowd of people and launched herself at me. I giggled and dropped the bag of presents, really hoping that none of them were breakable. I'd been collecting things for a while and couldn't remember exactly what I'd bought in the end.

"EEEVVIIIEEE!" Donna shrieked.

"Donnaaa!" I replied, my tone slightly quieter and less shrill.

As she let go of me and I was able to grab my breath again, bending down to pick up the bag of presents. When I straightened up I noticed a couple of women watching me suspiciously. Donna followed my gaze and shrugged, telling me to ignore them and leading me into the newly-built conservatory where Sylvia was sitting on a wicker sofa with Zoe balanced on her knees.

"Hey, ZoZo!" I exclaimed as the little girl grinned. She held out her chubby arms to be lifted and I swung her into the air. She giggled and grabbed for my hair as she always did. "Hi Sylvia, you alright?"

"Why, shouldn't I be?" She asked quickly. Donna's mother had problems with the fact that I knew some of what happened in their future. "Should I not be alright?"

"No, what?" I stuttered quickly. "Hang on, that wasn't some sort of hint. It was just a general question about whether you're alright…"

"Oh… in that case, yes." The woman said with a nod, standing up and retreating to the kitchen, leaving us alone with Zoe.

"What was that about?" I asked Donna, raising an eyebrow.

The red-head shook her head. "No idea! She's been acting weird for a while. The Doctor turned up a couple of days ago –"

"Making excuses about not being able to come today? Or was he just early?" I asked, smirking.

"Neither… He said he was from the future and needed to talk to Mum about something. He didn't even stay to say goodbye."

Confused, I glanced down at the baby, who was tugging on one of my curls. The Doctor was always going on about how we shouldn't tell people about their future. But now it appeared that Sylvia knew something that was making her jumpy.

"I'm sure it's nothing." I reassured my friend with a smile. "You know the Doctor. He wouldn't give anything away, would he?" She didn't look convinced, so I changed the subject. "I have a big bag of presents here… I wonder who they're for?" I tickled Zoe's stomach and she giggled. Donna grabbed the bag and started opening the presents. "OI! Is it your birthday?"

"She can't open presents yet." The woman said with a shrug, examining a small pink ball carefully. "What is it?"

"It's called a wish ball." I explained. "It's charged with five wishes. Basically, you hold it tightly in your hand and wish it into shape. Don't –" I said quickly as Donna's squeezed the ball in her right fist. "Don't waste them. It'll last a while if you don't waste the wishes."

"Fine, fine." Donna snapped. "But isn't Zo a bit young? I mean, she'll probably wish it into a biscuit or something?"

I grinned. "Well, yeah. You'll have to do the first one."

"That's what I was gonna do, Spacegirl, but you stopped me."

"What were you thinking? When you squeezed it, I mean."

"Shoes…" Donna admitted, pulling a face.

"Exactly." I told her with a grin. "I know you too well, Earthgirl."

"Fine, fine…" The woman closed her eyes, screwing up her face and squeezed the pink ball tightly in her hand. Then she smirked slightly, opened one eye and looked at me.

The ball in her hand started to morph into something else. It elongated, becoming an oblong before five shoots sprouted from it; two at the bottom, one on each side and one at the top. Gradually it took shape, details being added as we watched. Realising suddenly what it was, I shook my head at my friend.

"Great… scar the poor kid." I laughed, pulling the doll out of her hands and examining it closely. It was a perfect, much smaller, replica of me. "Fabulous!"

"She'll love it!" Donna assured me. As I held it Zoe made a grab for the doll, scrutinising it for a moment before hugging it tightly. "Told you… Right, what else is in here?"

"There's a present from Mum and Dad in there… but knowing Mum it won't be suitable." I told her grinning. I remembered the birthday presents she'd given me over the years, ranging from guns to other items that no normal child should be given; let alone from its mother. "She gave me a toy gun for my first birthday."

Donna raised an eyebrow and opened the present tentatively. I thought she almost looked disappointed when, rather than anything exciting or potentially dangerous, she pulled out a pretty blue party dress.

"It's beautiful." The woman said honestly, running her fingers over the satiny material of the skirt. "Really, it is."

"But it's too normal?" I asked, sensing there was something Donna wasn't saying. She glanced at me and sighed. "Well that's where you're wrong."

"What d'you mean?"

"This material… it's Rissilatic Silk from the Planet Rissilia. The Rissilians shred the leaves of the Oghan plant and then hand-weave the mulch into silk." I explained, running a hand down the dress. "It's slightly psychic."

"A psychic DRESS?" Donna asked, pulling a face. "How can a dress be psychic?"

"It attunes itself to the emotions of the wearer. So if Zoe's happy it'll sparkle and look totally brilliant. If she's sad it will look slightly… well… old."

She didn't respond. Instead she kept staring at the dress.

"Hey, Donna?" A blonde woman called, poking her head around the conservatory door. She glanced at the presents laid on the sofa before turning her gaze to me and Zoe. "Your Mum wants to cut the cake now."

"Alright, Nerys." Donna said, rolling her eyes as the woman turned around and went back into the kitchen.

"I thought you hated Nerys?" I asked, arching an eyebrow and smirking slightly.

"I do… but I couldn't not invite her, could I?" She pointed out rolling her eyes again. "D'you know, you look exactly like your Mum when you pull that face."

I pulled the face again and carried my goddaughter into the kitchen. Everyone started singing just as the doorbell rang. Donna sighed and started towards the door. I shook my head, handing Zoe over to her mother and heading along the corridor to answer the door. My hand turned the catch and it burst open, revealing the Doctor on the doorstep.

"Hello, daughter." He said with a broad grin, pulling me into a hug. "Where's the party? Is there dancing?"

"Dad… it's a children's party." I told him with a sigh. "Zoe's one. You do know that, right?"

"Of course I know!" He told me with a slightly exasperated sigh, matching my own.

Then he went down the hall to the kitchen. Rolling my eyes, I turned to close the front door. A figure on the other side of the road, partially hidden by a van, caught my attention and I narrowed my eyes slightly as I tried to understand what I was seeing.

"Jack?" I called, taking a couple of steps outside. He turned, as though he was intending to leave in a hurry. With a shout that would have been worthy of Donna at her best, I put my hands on my hips and bellowed after him. "OI!"

Jack stopped, apparently reluctantly, waiting for me to reach him. Half-heartedly he returned my hug.

"Alright, titch?" He asked; his usual jokey tone replaced by something wearier.

"What are you doing here? Why are you skulking around outside Donna's Mum's house?" I demanded.

He was silent for a few minutes before he spoke, looking at me with wide, sad eyes. "It's my daughter's birthday."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: OK… the whole Donna/Jack pairing? Apart from 11/River it is my most favourite-ist ship ever. So I'm very sorry if you don't agree, but you'll have to deal with it! I doubt there'll be much of it (because I'm not very good at writing it) but there will definitely be some!**_

_**Oh, and also… quite a few of you have asked me whether I'm going to write Evie into **__Let's Kill Hitler__**. The answer, lovely people, is no. **_

_**The reasons? **_

_**1 – River has just regenerated into her 'proper' (in my opinion) self so there's no way on Earth Evie's been born yet. Although this isn't a problem (because of the whole time travel thing) it brings me to reason 2. I think trying to tell River that not only is she River Song and not a psychopath who wants to kill the Doctor but also that she and the Doctor have a teenage/adult daughter is a little too much for one woman to handle! I think this might just turn into an is-younger-River-here?-oh-no-spoilers! thing. It could also lead to yet another 'you named your daughter after your daughter' moment, which is a route I'm not sure I want to go down.**_

_**Later on in the series I might write Evie into one of the episodes, depending on whether she'd fit or not… I don't want to just shoehorn her in because I can. There may be mention of **__Let's Kill Hitler__** in Evie's Diary, but she won't be taking part. **_

_**Does that make sense? I hope so. :) x**_


	20. One Candle 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: One Candle**

"It's my daughter's birthday."

I blinked. Jack… Captain Jack Harkness… my unreliable, irresponsible godfather… was Zoe's dad? How was that possible? OK, so I knew HOW it was possible, but… What?

"You're…" I started, pointing at him for a moment before bringing my hand back up to my mouth and chewing on my index fingernail in confusion. "What?"

"I'm Zoe's Dad." He told me seriously. "You know, your goddaughter?"

"But… WHAT?" I honestly couldn't process what he was telling me. "Sylvia said Zoe's Dad didn't even stick around to find out Donna was pregnant. Donna never mentioned anything…" I was a little hurt that Donna, supposedly my best friend, hadn't bothered to tell me that Jack was Zoe's father. Then the implications of this connection entered my head and I pulled a face. "Eww!"

He looked a little offended. "Eww? Donna is an incredibly attractive woman."

"Yeah, I know that; she's beautiful. But you're… you're you!"

Now he definitely looked offended. "What's that supposed to mean?"

I had no intention of getting into this conversation with my godfather. None whatsoever. Instead I took a firm hold of his hand and pulled him towards the house. He didn't put up much of a resistance, his gaze firmly fixed on the building. Inside, I opened the door to the small room that the Nobles used as a study and pushed him in, ordering him to wait there.

Then I made my way into the kitchen, signalling wildly to Donna who was deep in conversation with the Doctor, giggling her head off. He seemed to be doing his Ood impression – one of his party pieces. Suddenly I realised that I had absolutely no idea what had happened between Donna and Jack. Maybe there was a reason why Jack hadn't just walked up to the front door and rung the doorbell. She looked so happy; would seeing him upset her? That was the last thing I wanted to do.

But now it was too late. She had seen me and pulled a confused face before coming over.

"What's wrong?" She demanded seriously, thinking that it was something important. Well, it was, but not in the way she was obviously thinking. "Do you have to go?"

I shook my head, still fighting myself over my decision to tell her. "Jack's here."

"W-What?" She stammered. "J-Jack?"

I nodded. "In the study."

Donna pushed me out of the way and wrenched open the door. The pair of them looked at each other for a moment before closing the gap between them in seconds. Donna leapt at Jack, her legs wrapped around his waist and he held her close, kissing her passionately.

My eyes widened, my mouth dropped open and I turned quickly. I closed the door firmly and leant against it, trying to process their… unconventional… greeting. At least they seemed happy to see each other, I decided.

"What's going on in there?" Dad asked, suddenly appearing in front of me. I jumped, not realising he'd been so close.

"Nothing." I said quickly.

Obviously my tone and the speed of my answer had raised his suspicions as he gave me a curious look, before reaching past me for the door handle. Before I could stop him, he opened the door and looked inside. Then he closed it quickly, furrowing his eyebrows at me.

"Is that… Jack?" He asked. I nodded and he opened the door briefly once more. "Hi, Jack." Then he turned to me. "Have you seen Donna?"

"Dad!" I snapped, pulling the door shut and dragging the Doctor away. "Ever heard of privacy?" Silly question I thought to myself; this was the Doctor, not a normal person. Then I shook my head, wondering whether he was serious about whether I knew where Donna was or whether that was his idea of a joke. "Listen, this is a secret, right? I don't think anyone else knows, so you can NOT mention this to anyone, Dad."

"Dad?" A voice said, behind us. I whirled around and saw Donna's blonde on-off 'frenemy', Nerys, standing in the doorway to the living room. She was staring at the Doctor with a curious look on her face, her eyes moving up and down his body. They paused for a second on his bowtie. "How are you possibly old enough to be her Dad?"

"I'm older than I look." The Doctor said quickly, at exactly the same time as I told her, "He was incredibly young when I was born."

"Nerys…" The woman said, holding out her hand. Nervously the Doctor shook it, pumping it up and down energetically. She didn't let go and yanked him into the living room, chattering nineteen-to-the-dozen. Dad glanced pleadingly over his shoulder at me but I just grinned and gave him a little wave.

"Was that D–" He called over his shoulder suddenly, a look of realisation appearing on his face. I raised my eyebrows and nodded, stopping him mid-sentence. As he disappeared from view, a thunderous expression crossed his countenance.

Turning the handle, I opened the study door once more and saw immediately that Donna and Jack were still entwined. Wondering whether it was a little weird that I was watching them, I slipped into the room, closing the door behind me and coughed to try and draw their attention. For a few moments there was no sign they had even heard me, so I tried again, louder.

"OI!" I said at last. They broke apart, looking at me slightly guiltily. "As best friend and goddaughter," I announced, "I think I have a right to know what's going on… here." I waved my finger in a circle around them. "So spill."

"Well…" Jack said glancing at Donna, one hand still clasping her waist and holding her close to him. "Ever since Donna had her mind wiped I'd been popping around to check she was alright and happy. Obviously I'd noticed when I met her with the Doctor how hot she is…"

Donna giggled and I rolled my eyes. Typical Jack. "Of course you did."

"But I knew she didn't know who I was. The Doctor warned me and asked me to keep an eye on her. Not that I needed the encouragement. But then one time I came she looked at me oddly and called me Captain; I'd never told her my title."

"I explained what had happened when you opened the closed off part of my mind." Donna explained. "Then… well…"

"Then there was nothing to stop me acting on my feelings. I'd resisted while she was in danger. I'd never hurt Donna." Jack said, turning to look at her tenderly. I raised an eyebrow not used to this softer, almost romantic, side to my godfather.

"OK… so, you two? You're… a couple?" I asked looking between them. "Why haven't you told anyone?"

"Exactly what I keep saying." Donna agreed, rolling her eyes and smacking Jack lightly on the chest.

"Your father, for one thing." He said with a grin. "He'd kill me!"

"So would my mother." The red-head told him, grinning back.

The door opened before any of us could say anything else. The Doctor's face appeared in the gap. He looked at the faces watching him; mine still slightly confused, Donna's flushed and happy and Jack's slightly wary.

"What's going on?" He growled, his eyes fixing on Jack's hand on Donna's waist.

x-x

It had taken a while to calm the Doctor down and convince him that Jack hadn't taken advantage of Donna. She had told him, in no uncertain terms, that if he didn't back off she'd knock him out. I grinned at her ferocity and the fact that Dad was looking slightly embarrassed. The whole situation was enough to turn his face the colour of a ripe tomato.

Telling Sylvia had been slightly trickier. Her first instinct had been to slap Jack for not being around properly. Her second reaction, which closely followed the first, had been to hang onto him sobbing slightly. Sensing Jack's unease, I gently prised the blonde woman of him and led her upstairs for a lie down.

"But he's so good-looking!" She was muttering. "How did she manage it?"

I held back a laugh, shaking my head at Sylvia's unfailing dismissal of her daughter. Even after being assured about nine times that this wasn't a joke the woman still couldn't quite believe it.

"Listen, I know Jack very, VERY well." I assured Sylvia. The dark look she shot me instantly let me know she'd got the wrong end of the stick. "No, no!" I exclaimed hastily, holding up my hands. "No. He's my godfather."

"Really?" She looked even more concerned at this news. "So he's the infamous Jack…"

"Yep, he's good friends with my Mum and Dad." Sylvia made a low, growling sound in her throat. She didn't really approve of the confident, totally self-assured, independent – not to mention gun-wielding – River Song. Neither was she the biggest fan of the Doctor. "But anyway, I know Jack and he never gets like this about anyone. He usually has more of a love them and leave them attitude to relationships. And the… people… he goes for are always totally gorgeous!" I said, choosing my words carefully.

"WHAT?" The woman screeched. I winced, realising that my words were about as far from helpful as they could have been, however carefully I'd chosen them.

"No!" I exclaimed again. This was turning into a disaster. Donna would kill me if I messed this up. "OK… what I meant was… Jack's different with Donna. He obviously totally adores her. And if he hurts her, godfather or not, I'll kill him… many times. Not to mention what Dad will do to him."

This obviously calmed Sylvia down a little and she lay down, still muttering under her breath. Quickly I left the room before she could start arguing again and headed downstairs. Donna and Wilf had got rid of all the guests and they sat in the lounge with Jack and the Doctor. Zoe was sitting on her father's knee, staring up at him curiously. He was looking down at her in awe.

Leaning against the doorframe I waited for someone to notice me. Donna stood up and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back, wondering what it was for.

"You alright?" She asked. I nodded, wondering why I wouldn't be. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"Dealing with my mother." Donna said with a grin. I laughed. "Do you still want to stay over at mine tonight?"

With a glance at Jack I shook my head. "No thanks, I have no desire to play gooseberry. Babysitting Zoe while you and my godfather… no thanks!"

Donna blushed and shook her head. "You wouldn't. You'd never be in the way, Evie."

"I know." I told her, smiling and squeezing her hand. "But I'll hitch a ride home with Dad. To be honest, I'll almost definitely be a gooseberry there as well!"

"Come and see us soon." Wilf commanded, hugging me tightly as Donna moved away laughing to hug the Doctor.

"Oh, I will, don't worry." I assured him. "Just you try stopping me, Gramps."

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>So, Jack's got a daughter then?" River asked, arching an eyebrow as Evie finished writing and filled her in on her day. The brunette put her TARDIS diary on the coffee table and sighed, leaning back into the soft cushions of the sofa. Her mother put an arm around her and Evie leant on her shoulder, closing her eyes as River gently stroked her hair.<strong>_

"_**You knew, didn't you?" She said after a minute. **_

_**River moved away, looking at her intently. "How did you know?"**_

_**Evie smiled weakly. "Your reaction; you weren't that surprised. Is that why you fell out with him, even though Zoe hadn't even been born then?"**_

"_**One of the reasons." River agreed. "But that's sorted now."**_

"_**Who wants desert? You've got fish fingers AND custard!" The Doctor called from the kitchen. The two women exchanged a look, before gabbling excuses and disappearing quickly from the room.**_


	21. The Final Straw

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Third On The Left**

Age: 21

Location: Halpen Six, Vlaarg Sector

Date: 7852

* * *

><p>So… the day before yesterday I found out I had a sister. Today I got stranded on an unknown planet with my new sister and almost didn't make it back again. Is it any wonder I'm in a bad mood?<p>

It all started, as it does 90% of the time, because of the Doctor. He was fed up of me being jealous of Jenny. She was completely oblivious to the fact that I was annoyed with her and this was making me even moodier.

"We're going on a trip." He announced, whirling around the console with a bright grin on his face. Mum smiled and Jenny clapped her hands excitedly. I just rolled my eyes and folded my arms.

"Where?" I demanded.

"I thought we'd go to Messaline." The Doctor said with a smile. "We can see how they've got on since we left."

"Fabulous." I muttered sarcastically, sitting down and hugging my knees. No one bothered to dignify my comment with any indication that they'd even heard it.

The TARDIS jolted to a halt. Staring at the scanner, the Doctor's face contorted into an expression that I recognised instantly. Once again the police box had taken us to the wrong place. I exhaled loudly and leant my head back against the railings around the console platform.

"That's odd…" He muttered, pointing to the scanner. Mum looked as well, furrowing her eyebrows. Then he looked at her and grinned. "Oh well, you always liked visiting new places."

"Where are we?" Jenny asked, standing beside Mum. Turning to fix her with a grin, Mum put an arm around her shoulders. I gritted my teeth.

"Somewhere in the Vlaarg Sector." Mum told her. "Halpen Six… good atmosphere… according to this there's a good chance that there will be snow when we open those doors."

"Ooh!" Jenny exclaimed. "I love snow!"

"What a surprise." I muttered rolling my eyes.

Mum arched an eyebrow at me. "Get a jacket, Evie."

Growling, I stamped off to my bedroom to get one. Choosing the black leather jacket that had belonged to Dad, I returned to the console room, shooting Mum a sarcastic smile and headed straight out through the doors.

"No, Evie, wait!" Dad shouted jumping down the stairs after me, but it was too late. I stepped out onto the planet. There was a crunch under my foot as I stood on the crisp snow. The familiar light thud reached my ears as the TARDIS doors closed behind me.

I just about had time to take in the breath-taking view, snowy peaks and trees covered in white, before I was surrounded by a group of helmet-wearing figures with guns. Inwardly I groaned, but stood my ground and glared at them.

"You are human?" One of the figures asked.

Shrugging, I nodded. "It would appear so." I agreed, guardedly. I had no intention of telling them I was part Time Lord. Especially as we still weren't sure what the ratio was.

"And this is your vehicle?"

"Yeah."

"What is it?"

I grinned. "A blue box."

"You are alone?" He asked again. I nodded quickly.

Then the TARDIS door opened and Jenny flew out, leaping at me. I groaned audibly.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, glaring at her.

Jenny widened her eyes at me. "Helping!"

"How is this helping?"

"Well you're not alone!"

Gritting my teeth I nodded curtly, wishing that I was.

"You are not alone." The figure said. "You lied. You will come with us."

"Really though?" I asked, putting my head on one side. Instantly, two of the figures were beside me holding my arms and lifting me off the ground so that my feet dangled uselessly in mid-air. Looking sideways I saw that the same had happened to Jenny.

"Really." The figure said. If I could have seen its face I was sure it would have been grinning. I growled and struggled for a while, but it had absolutely no effect on the iron-grips of the two figures holding me.

We were taken quickly through the valley and to a door in the mountain. I watched as the figure who had spoken put his hand on a control pad and pressed a couple of buttons, causing the door to slide open. Inside was a maze of tunnels that connected and weaved their way through the darkness.

Jenny and I were deposited in a damp looking cell and the door was closed quickly, just in time to stop me leaping out at our captors. I screamed in frustration, bashing the bars angrily. Then I had a sudden thought and checked the display on my Vortex Manipulator. The signal was being blocked, meaning that it was worse than useless.

"This is your fault." I snapped at Jenny, stalking past her and sliding down the wall to sit on the floor. The blonde stared at me, evidently incredibly hurt.

"Why is it my fault?" She asked in surprise.

I hesitated for a moment. "OK… it's not your fault." I admitted with a sigh. "It just made me feel better to blame you… for a minute."

Jenny nodded and pulled a face, making it clear that she didn't really understand what I was trying to tell her. In truth, I didn't really understand what I was trying to tell her either. As she leant against the wall, I watched Jenny carefully. I knew that she shared the Doctor's DNA and I knew that she came from his last regeneration, but I still couldn't help myself trying to work out whether she looked like me at all or not.

"What?" Jenny asked, turning to look at me curiously. I shrugged.

"Dunno…" I told her. "I was trying to work out if there were any similarities between us."

She grinned and, despite myself, I grinned as well. Sitting down beside me, Jenny wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin on her knees. Then she reached out and took hold of my hand. At first I let it go limp, unsure if I was ready for such a meaningful connection. Then I sighed and squeezed her hand back.

"I think there are." Jenny said. "You're a fighter, aren't you? The gun you're pretty much attached to most of the time would agree with that. Dad hated me at first because I thought that guns and violence were the answer to everything. Apparently he's changed enough not to mind anymore."

"Oh, he minds!" I assured her laughing. "But he knows that I'm not gonna change… Neither is Mum."

There was a loud bang and a couple of the figures appeared outside the cell. Jenny and I glanced up and I sighed, trying to act as casually as I could.

"Your blue box has been transported to a holding cell." One of them told us. I don't think it was the same one as had questioned me before, but it could have been. I wasn't particularly bothered.

"Where is that?" I asked carefully.

"Along the corridor. It is safely protected behind metal bars."

"That's good." I said, nodding and shrugging at the same time.

"You will wait here until you are called to be seen." The figures said, before turning and marching away.

"They're really not great conversationalists, are they?" I pointed out, shaking my head. Jenny grinned.

"What are we going to do?" She asked.

I smiled at her wryly. "We wait here for the parents to come and get us. Then I get about twelve lectures about my behaviour and how rule number one is not to wander off and then probably get confined to the TARDIS for the foreseeable future."

"Really?" Jenny asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Oh yeah… this has happened way more times than you'd imagine." I said with a shrug. "To be honest, this is probably default adventure setting."

"Won't I get into trouble as well?"

I snorted. "I doubt it."

"That's not fair." The blonde girl said, screwing up her face. "I wandered off as well."

"Yes, but you came after me, didn't you? It'll still be my fault!" I grinned at her and shook my head. "Let's wait and see. I bet it'll all be my fault."

"But that's not –"

"I know, but that's life, sis!" I said. Then I stopped abruptly, staring at her. I couldn't believe what had just slipped out of my mouth.

"You called me sis!" Jenny squealed, beaming at me. My face fell slightly as I realised that she was right. Then I shrugged.

"Well you are, aren't you?"

"Yeah!" She squealed again, hugging me. Gingerly I patted her back, before disentangling myself.

"Less hugging, though, yeah?" I told her, making it more of a warning than a request. She just nodded, beamed and jumped to her feet glancing over my head.

I turned as well, spotting what Jenny was looking at. My parents were looking at me, both wearing slightly amused expressions. After a moment, Dad unlocked the cell with his sonic screwdriver and we walked out.

"You're in big trouble, young lady." Mum started immediately. I glanced at Jenny and raised my eyebrows, a small smirk on my face.

"What have I always told you is rule number one?" Dad continued the lecturing as we headed along the stone passageway.

"The next part will be about the fact they can't trust me and that I'm selfish and thoughtless." I muttered to Jenny with a grin.

"D'you know what, Evie," Mum said, turning and pointing at me angrily, "I don't see how we can trust you to go anywhere, especially not on your own! You are the most self-centred, self-absorbed, thoughtless…"

"Told you!" I giggled.

"But… I got captured too." Jenny pointed out.

"Yes, sweetie," Mum said gently, putting her hand on Jenny's arm, "but you only went to help Evie out."

"Told you! I've heard this speech about a hundred times." I muttered again, shrugging as we reached the cell containing the TARDIS. The Doctor opened the door and ushered us inside, locking it once we were in. "So, what's my punishment this time? Staying on board the TARDIS for three weeks?"

Mum thumped the TARDIS door with her fist and turned to glare at me. "I've had enough, Evie. You're going back to Stormcage and you're going to stay there until I've calmed down."

My mouth dropped open. "Are you serious?"

"Yes!" She fumed, pushing me into the police box. Before I knew it she'd taken my Vortex Manipulator off my wrist and pocketed it. "I've had enough of your attitude."

"Wasn't expecting this…" I muttered to Jenny as I collapsed, shocked, onto the chair beside the console. Dad shot me a look and a small shrug and Mum stamped around the time machine, messing with the controls.

"I think she was just worried about you." Jenny said, sitting beside me. "When you went out and got surrounded she was really scared."

"Just let her calm down." Dad muttered in a low voice as he moved to our side of the console. "You know she can't let you out of her sight for very long."

I sighed and nodded, glancing at Mum who was stabbing furiously at the buttons on the control panel. The three of us winced as she yanked down the landing lever with such ferocity we thought it might snap off.

"Out!" She ordered as we came to a stop. Smiling weakly at Dad and Jenny I sighed and walked through the doors. Seconds later the familiar sound filled the Stormcage corridor as the TARDIS dematerialised. For a moment I was stunned that she'd actually gone without even saying goodbye. Then I gritted my teeth, took a deep breath and painted a smile on my face, picking up the intercom phone on the wall.

"Alright, boys? I'm back. What's for dinner?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie curled her legs up underneath her and pulled the blanket up tighter around her as she stared at the words she'd just written. Outside, lightening flashed and thunder boomed and raindrops made tracks down the glass. She glanced up and sighed, standing and keeping the blanket around her as she put her diary back on the shelf. Then she climbed back into bed and wrapped herself up tightly, leaning against the wall. <strong>_

"_**How long is it gonna take you to calm down this time?" She muttered, sighing and staring at the spot against the corridor wall where the TARDIS always materialised.**_


	22. Lizards, Cubes and Retro Shotguns

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Lizards, Cubes and Retro Shotguns**

Age: 15

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: 2023

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>We're getting Pizza, Evie!" The Doctor called from the Console Room. The teenager glanced up from the kitchen table where she was finishing her diary entry. "What d'you want?"<strong>_

"_**Barbeque chicken!" She shouted back. "I'll be there in a minute!"**_

* * *

><p>The TARDIS landed and the Doctor leapt down the steps and opened the door, stepping out and taking a deep breath. He raised his arms and glanced around happily.<p>

"I love London!" He exclaimed. I rolled my eyes and pushed past him, looking around for the sender of the message we'd received. Mum followed me, keeping one eye on her Vortex Manipulator as she pulled the TARDIS doors closed behind us.

While the Doctor was proclaiming how much he loved London and pigeons and park benches and whatever else was around him, we kept an eye out. Mum knew who we were looking for, but I'd never met them before and didn't have a clue what to expect.

"There." Mum said after a couple of moments, pointing towards a dingy café and leading the way over. I followed and so did the Doctor, stopping mid speech.

Inside sat a figure in a hooded cloak and a young, dark-haired woman. Mum exchanged greetings with them, as did the Doctor, but no one seemed to feel the need to introduce me. I sat, awkwardly, watching as they talked quickly. They laughed occasionally and I found myself tuning out of the conversation because it didn't seem to include me.

Finally they stood up and I quickly followed them out of the café and along the street. The figure in the cloak hadn't removed its hood and I was getting incredibly curious as to who, or what, was underneath it. The young woman didn't seem fazed by the fact that her companion was faceless at the moment and neither did Mum or the Doctor. Only I seemed curious. By the pitch of the figure's voice, it was a woman. Then again, experience told me that I could be wrong.

"In here…" The cloaked figure said, darting into a dark doorway and pushing a series of buttons on a key pad beside the door. It opened with a slight creak and we went inside. It was dark and gloomy in the passageway, but wordlessly we followed.

"Evie?" The young woman said, holding out a hand for my jacket after taking Mum's. I blinked a couple of times, wondering how she knew my name. As far as I could remember no one had said it since we'd met them. I shrugged off my coat and handed it to her. "Anybody want a drink?"

After politely declining, the Doctor began pacing around, barely glancing at the cloaked figure… who was no longer cloaked. My mouth fell open slightly, before I caught myself and shut it. The figure was indeed a woman – of sorts. She was green, had scales and resembled a lizard. I glanced quickly at Mum. She too seemed totally casual.

"This is a bit of a comedown from the last time I saw you, Vastra." She was saying glancing around her.

The lizard woman shrugged. "Yes, well, Jenny and I… let's say we ran into a bit of trouble."

"And that's why we're here?" The Doctor asked, whirling around and looking at her intently. Vastra laughed and shook her head.

"I wish… this is something far more important." She sat down on the sofa that ran along one of the room. "No, we've been monitoring an outpost on the west side of the city. The static readings are off the scale, but they peaked the night before last."

While she was speaking, Mum had pulled out her computer device and was monitoring the static readings across the city. I moved slowly across the room and leant against the mantelpiece picking up a snow globe and looking at it intently. Instead of the usual flecks of gold paper or fake snow that was generally found inside the objects, there was a strange, swirling mass of particles and caught and reflected the light oddly.

"It's a Huon detector." Vastra said suddenly beside me. I jumped and almost dropped it. Gently she took it from me and replaced it on its platform on the mantelpiece.

"Why have you got a Huon detector?" I asked, reluctant to reveal that I was a little hazy on what Huon actually was. I know that it came in particle form and was incredibly old, but apart from that I knew nothing.

"Why not?" She asked with a shrug. I had to admit that this was a pretty good answer. Why shouldn't she have one?

"So… I don't mean to be rude, but who are you?"

Vastra smiled, looking me up and down. "You haven't met me before, have you?" I shook my head. "I've met you, many times. My name is Vastra. I am a Silurian."

"Where are you from?"

Again, Vastra smiled. "Earth, my dear. We Silurians are from Earth."

"Really?"

Vastra didn't answer. Instead she just laughed and turned to Mum. "Well, what have you discovered?"

"You're right, there seems to be a blanket static boost over the city which peaked the other night. The focal point of the static seems to be a disused warehouse about 5 miles out." Mum said with a nod. She held out the device to the Doctor, who glanced at the screen before scanning it with the sonic screwdriver, flicking it open and looking at the readings.

"Get your coat?" I said, pre-empting what he was about to say as he opened his mouth. Looking slightly disappointed that I'd stolen his line, the Doctor nodded and headed out in the direction we'd left the TARDIS, leaving us to catch up with him.

The warehouse we found ourselves in, about half an hour later, was freezing cold. But the static levels were obviously much higher. I raised my hand and tried to stop my hair frizzing but only succeeded in giving myself an electric shock. When I pointed this out to Mum, she just rolled her eyes and muttered about priorities. In my opinion the fact that my hair was giving me electric shocks was quite important.

"But it's actually quite violent!" I said raising my hand to my hair, before retracting it quickly as there was a loud crackling sound and a jolt of pain surged through my fingers.

"Stand still!" The Doctor shouted, jumping towards me and holding the sonic screwdriver in my face. I did as I was told; waiting until he'd scanned me and read the readings. "Hmm… static…"

I raised my eyebrows and shook my head. I couldn't believe that that was all he'd got from that. Then he turned and leapt away again, scanning the rest of the warehouse. Then he paced around, muttering under his breath.

"I feel like we're missing something." Mum said with a sigh, staring at the screen in her hands. I nodded slowly, screwing up my face a little.

"We are." Vastra said suddenly. Confused, I looked across at her with my head slightly tilted to one side. I followed the line of where she was pointing and my eyes fell on a large, metal cube.

"How did we miss that!" Mum and I exclaimed in unison. No one answered.

Carefully the Doctor was examining the cube, running his hands over the metal surface and trying to work out whether there was some kind of opening. We watched in silence for what seemed a long time. I was starting to lose interest when he finally beckoned Mum over and started speaking to her in a low voice. I crept closer and tried to listen in to their conversation.

"So the static is just compensating for the elevated levels in atmospheric disturbance?" Mum muttered, looking as though she understood what she was saying. I honestly didn't.

Everyone assumes that I understand everything that happens when I'm with the Doctor. The truth is I'm lucky if I understand a quarter of it. Maths is easy; the more complicated the better. But that's because I've learnt it. Atmospheric disturbance and elevated static levels? I haven't got a clue.

"So if we can rewind the signal that this cube is emitting and replace the lower bandwidth binary with an encrypted dual code…"

"… then we should be able to reduce the static and even out the pressure." Mum finished for the Doctor. I just nodded, pretending to agree. Mum smirked slightly at me, reading my face like a book.

For want of anything better to do, I moved to stand between the two of them, examining the cube closely. The Doctor had found a panel and soniced it open. This was where the pair of them were concentrating their attention; fiddling with the buttons and symbols engraved into the metal.

Vastra and Jenny were exploring the warehouse and came back after a while with a pile of weapons in their arms that they'd found in some crate or other. Immediately my attention was caught and I wandered casually over to examine them closely.

"Wow… these are really retro!" I exclaimed enthusiastically, picking up a large gun and disengaging it quickly. I slid the magazine swiftly out and squinted at it with one eye shut so that I could really look hard.

Vastra laughed. "You haven't changed."

"Hmm?" I asked, only just catching her words as my attention was completely taken by the weapon in my hands. I flipped it over and ran my fingers along the barrel. "This is a genuine Thedean Hunting gun. The sight's a little off…" I said as I raised it quickly and aimed towards a pile of sandbags on the far side of the warehouse. "It's maybe a couple of degrees out? Still pretty deadly in the wrong hands though."

"She definitely hasn't changed." Jenny agreed with a grin, stalking past me and dumping the rest of the weapons in a heap on the ground. I glanced up, one eyebrow raised, about to ask what she meant when the Doctor's voice distracted me.

"I don't understand!" He exclaimed loudly. He'd been jabbing at the control panel on the cube. "There should be some kind of master release button around here somewhere."

"Stand back…" I ordered replacing the magazine and pumping the forearm handle in one fluid movement. Then I closed one eye, aimed a fraction to the left to compensate for the sight and fired. Mum and the Doctor dived aside as the bullet hit the control panel, blowing it off easily. "Sorted!"

"Evie!" The Doctor chided. "What have you – oh… it worked!"

He quickly began tapping at the newly exposed buttons beneath the panel. I grinned and removed the magazine once more, returning the gun to the pile. Shooting the others a quick wink, I moved to the Doctor's side.

"Are you finished, yet?" I asked with a sigh, feeling a little smug. I leant against the cube, resting an elbow on the metal and leaning my head against my palm. Staring intently at the Doctor I waited until he reluctantly glanced up.

"Almost…"

"Good… I'm starving. In fact, I could eat a buttered frog."

His eyebrows furrowed as he tried to understand what I was talking about. Finally he decided that he was going to have to ask.

"Buttered frog?"

"She saw it on a film. It made her laugh so she keeps saying it." Mum filled him in with an exasperated sigh. "I really shouldn't let her watch films or television… she gets too attached."

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Pizza's here!" River shouted through the corridors. "Come and get it."<strong>_

"_**We got you a buttered frog!" The Doctor added gleefully. Evie grinned as she heard her Mother sigh loudly.**_

"_**Don't you start encouraging her!" The woman snapped. "She's weird enough as it is!"**_

"_**Is that really my fault?" Evie asked, skipping into the kitchen and stealing a piece of her mother's pizza with a broad grin. She took a bite, pulled a face and dropped it back on River's plate. "Eurgh… who gets VEGETABLES on a pizza? And you think I'm weird…"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: OK… I feel that I should apologise for a) attempting to add some technical STUFF in… I have no idea what 'rewind the signal that this cube is emitting and replace the lower bandwidth binary with an encrypted dual code' means… if it means anything at all! And b) that line 'I could eat a buttered frog' is from one of my all-time very favourite films **__The Bad Mother's Handbook __**and I just watched it this morning and REALLY wanted to get it in… so yeah… sorry! :)**_


	23. Secrets

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Secrets**

Age: 24

Location: Ealing, London, Earth

Date: June 2006

* * *

><p>"Evie Noble, Health and Safety." I said with a broad grin, flashing my psychic card at the slightly bemused woman in the doorway of the large detached house on Bannerman Road. Nervously I glanced around; the reason I was here was far too important to mess up. If the wrong people got their hands on what I was here to deliver there would be serious consequences.<p>

"Oh…" The woman regarded me with a slightly amused smirk for a moment. Or maybe I just imagined it. Then she smiled warmly. "How can I help you?"

"Auntie Sarah?" She looked at me in confusion, but I barely noticed. "I really need to speak to you. Can I come in?"

Without waiting for an answer I pushed past her into the house and peered through doors until I found the kitchen. Then I seated myself at the table and smiled brightly at her. Sarah Jane watched me, slightly stunned, but with a hint of anger flitting across her features. She crossed her arms and stared at me.

"First you lie to me about who you are. Then you show me some kind of psychic card and THEN you barge into my house." She listed, counting my offences on her fingers.

"Eh?" I murmured, wondering why she was so bothered about my unconventional introduction.

Sarah Jane was surveying me closely. "Have we met before? I feel as though…"

"Yeah, course we have. It's me; Evie." I told her with a frown. "But I don't think you know everything yet."

"Evie who?" She raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean I don't know everything yet?"

I looked at her carefully, considering the expression on her face. "You honestly don't know? I'm Evie Song. My Dad is the Doctor… and he needs your help Sarah Jane. He really needs your help."

x-x

"So… you really are the Doctor's daughter?" Sarah Jane said a little while later. She'd gone very pale after she'd learnt the truth and I had quickly steered her into a chair, before I put the kettle on. It turned out that I'd arrived two years before I had intended to; just before Sarah Jane had first met the younger me.

"Yep. His older… no, younger… oh, I'm not sure. I have a sister as well, Jenny. It's complicated."

The woman shook her head slightly. "What? You have a sister?"

"Yep. Well, biologically she's not my proper sister… there was this machine on a planet called Messaline and then bam, Jenny appeared." I gabbled quickly, seeing instantly that my words held no meaning to the woman.

"So, you are the Doctor's daughter… explains the psychic card. But, you said the Doctor needed my help?"

"Yeah… he does. But he doesn't know I'm here." I said carefully, perching on one of the hard wooden kitchen chairs and facing her seriously. "Something's going to happen in two years. I can't tell you much about it, other than the fact that it could mean the end of everything you know if it goes wrong. Dad's greatest enemies are coming back and they have big plans."

Sarah Jane held up her hand to stop me. "You don't mean…"

"I can't tell you. I'm sorry." I apologised quickly. "But it's going to be terrifying and dangerous and there's a risk you could die. And I really am sorry."

"You sound like your Dad."

"Thanks…" I wasn't entirely sure if that was meant as a compliment or not, because the expression on the woman's face was devoid of emotion. She was staring at me as though she was trying to work me out. A little unnerved, I shuffled in my seat. "Listen, Ms Smith… do you still have the warp star?"

"The… yes? I think so." She said nodding and looking a little surprised. "How did you know about that?"

"I'm from the future… your future… this world's future. I know so much but I… that doesn't matter." I shook my head, trying to stay focused. Dad would kill me if he knew I was here. "When the time comes – and you'll know when that is, you won't be able to miss it – you'll get a message from Harriet Jones. She's the… is she still Prime Minister?"

"Yes." Sarah Jane said with a smile. "I know who she is."

"Well, she'll get in contact with you and some others. The Doctor will need some help. Take the warp star with you, but whatever you do don't use it unless something goes wrong and it can't be avoided."

I stood up and smoothed down my clothes. Rather than my usual jeans and vest top, I'd decided to dress up slightly and was wearing a pair of black leggings and a long top that came down to the middle of my thighs. It wasn't mine – I didn't own anything remotely smart. I'd had to borrow the outfit from Donna and use the sonic screwdriver to alter the fitting slightly.

Turning to leave, I smiled at the woman and her son, still staring at me open-mouthed. "Everything will be alright. You'll have one Donna Noble to save the day."

"Who's Donna?"

"She's the Doctor's companion when it happens… I can't say anymore. I've already told you more than I should have."

Sarah Jane stood up and followed me to the front door. "Will you be there?"

I smiled. "Yes, but I shouldn't have been. I shouldn't even be here now. If he knew that I was… No. You can't tell him about me. He doesn't know yet, you see… he won't for a while. You'll meet a much younger me soon, with the Doctor, but she won't know that he's her Dad and she can't. It won't be long… but you can't rush these things, can you?"

She laughed and shook her head, pulling me into a tight hug. I was taken aback, but let her hold me tightly. I think she even cried a little bit. Awkwardly I rubbed her back. When she let go, I smiled as she rubbed her eyes, wiping the smudged makeup from her cheeks.

"You really are his daughter, aren't you? You're just like him."

"Actually, I'm more like my Mum." I said, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"I wouldn't know about that. But you're definitely his daughter." She folded her arms and leant against the doorframe as I went down the drive. "Will I see you again?"

"Of course." I said with a shrug. "I don't honestly know when… things aren't fixed, my timeline is constantly in flux, I might have already met you or I might not ever meet you again. We'll find out, I guess! See you, Auntie Sarah."

Her face contorted slightly with confusion as she tried to unravel the meaning of my words. I knew it was confusing; it confused me as well. But I knew that I'd altered things so many times before; going back too far in timelines and meeting people before I'd met them the first time around, changing things so that people I was supposed to meet and things that I was supposed to do never materialised. It was so odd, so delicate. And it made a mockery of what I'd always been told. Not revealing things too early was difficult when you didn't know whether it was too early or not.

I tapped a few buttons on my Vortex Manipulator and turned for a second to smile and shoot the woman a wink. She grinned, apparently instinctively and I walked further down the drive, pressing the button on my wrist and vanishing through the Vortex.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Where've you been?" The Doctor demanded, seeing his daughter materialise in front of him. The young woman looked slightly alarmed at his proximity and muttered something about meeting up with a friend. He raised an eyebrow. "Looking like that? Since when did you get all dressed up to meet your friends?"<strong>_

_**River, hearing the commotion in the kitchen wandered through and leant against the doorframe lazily. "She never gets all dressed up."**_

"_**I know that. So why is she today?"**_

"_**Mum, Dad, leave it, alright!" Evie ordered, looking flustered. Her parents exchanged a look and River smirked even more broadly.**_

"_**Were you meeting a boy, Evie?"**_

"_**WHAT?!" The Doctor roared, turning to face her accusingly. "Evie Song, you better not have been meeting a boy."**_

"_**I'm twenty-four." She told him with a sigh, shaking her head. "It would be a little weird if I was sneaking off to meet a BOY. I'm into MEN these days. Besides, you know my boyfriend and I wasn't with him."**_

_**Leaving them both staring after her, the Doctor looking as though his head was about to explode and River smirking broadly, Evie headed through the house and up to her bedroom grinning. She wouldn't tell them where she'd been, they could think what they liked. And she knew that the Doctor would be going mad. **_

_**Sure enough, seconds later she heard a peal of laughter from her mother as her father started throwing threats around the kitchen. He just couldn't get used to the idea that she had grown up. **_


	24. Stuck 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Stuck**

Age: 19

Location: Corrigan Major, Felspus Network

Date: 75123

* * *

><p>I'm not exactly sure where to start with this entry.<p>

One minute I was walking along in the Marshes of VelVoon with the Doctor and the next thing I knew I found myself somewhere completely different. A quick update of my Vortex Manipulator told me that I was somewhere in the Felspus Network. A more in-depth scan told me that I was on a planet called Corrigan Major. Then the Vortex Manipulator died.

"What?" I shrieked, bashing it with the heel of my palm. "Not now, you useless piece of…"

Throwing my head back I looked up at the sky, the deep emerald green sky, and let out a long breath. The Vortex Manipulator was programmed to send a signal to the TARDIS matrix when it died like this and I was hoping that the Doctor would think to check it and trace it back.

Until then I was stuck on this planet. A planet that I'd never heard of, let alone visited, before. On my own.

I started walking. The planet was almost completely flat. I could see far into the distance. The only thing that rose out above the ground was a strange, apparently pyramid-shaped object. So it was there I headed, hoping that this wouldn't turn into a decision that I would come to very much regret.

The pyramid was much further away than I'd thought. It took me at least an hour to reach it. I walked over the soft, almost bouncy, pale blue grass. It was as though the colours of the ground and the sky had been inverted I thought. I had quite a lot of thoughts as I walked. Most of them were completely pointless and made next to no sense. Others were memories of things that I'd seen or done. I even worked out the answer to a mathematical problem that had been bothering the Doctor.

Finally I arrived at the pyramid. It was bigger than I'd calculated it would be, based on my initial estimation of the distance and the angle. It seemed to be made of some kind of rough material. It reminded me strongly of tree bark, particularly the Fazoon Tree which was indigenous of the Yitfeen Peninsular, apart from the fact that it smelt strongly of cabbage. I wrinkled up my nose at the scent and walked slowly around the pyramid, keeping one hand on the side as I tried to work out if there was an entrance.

After walking all the way around, or at least I assumed I'd walked all the way round – there wasn't any sort of reference point I could check with, aside from counting the edges as I passed them – I stopped and sighed again.

"Mama!" A crowd of small, shrill voice called from behind me. I stopped at once, my eyes widening and goosebumps appearing on my arms. If there was some kind of creature calling its mother that really wasn't good news for me. I'd been on the receiving end of an angry mother bear's swipe before and I wasn't looking forward to facing anything like that again.

Slowly I turned and fixed my gaze on a horde of small creatures. They looked like human children and, from first inspection, it was obvious that they followed a basic humanoid pattern but without my Vortex Manipulator working I had no way of assessing them more closely. Instead, I stepped backwards quickly, my back connecting with the rough surface of the pyramid behind me.

"Mama!" The children repeated. I looked wildly around, looking for any sign of their mother.

"Listen…" I said anxiously, holding my hands up. "I don't want to hurt you."

One of the taller children, with shimmering blonde hair that fell halfway down her back, stepped forwards, holding out her hand. "Mama?"

Then it hit me. They weren't alerting their mother to my presence; they were calling ME Mama.

"Wha– Oh! No!" I said quickly, forgetting that I was already pressed up against the pyramid and trying to step back even further. "No, no… I'm not your Mum. Trust me… that wouldn't end well for any of us. MY Mum would murder me for one thing…"

"But… you are the only Mama to come here since the last one died." The girl said tilting her head on one side as she surveyed me closely. Behind her the other children, I'd guess that they ranged in age from about ten to young toddlers, watched me hopefully. There were nine of them I realised as I counted quickly.

"But… what d'you mean the last one died?" I asked, slightly less harshly than before, sliding down the pyramid to sit on the ground with a bump. Taking this as a sign, the children surged forwards, ignoring my protests and settling themselves around me. The smallest, a little girl, settled herself firmly on my lap, ignoring my attempts to move her.

"A monster came and killed most of the Mama's and Dada's." The oldest girl told me evenly. There was no hint of sadness in her voice, as though she'd grown hardened to the subject. "My Mama and Dada died in the first attack. So me and my brother, Haydn, and my sister Alis were taken in by Bedwyr and Braith's Mama and Dada." She said, pointing out each child she mentioned in turn. They smiled at me broadly as their names were mentioned. I found that I was smiling weakly back, still trying to understand what had happened. "Eurwen and Gwil's Mamas and Dadas were killed at the same time and they went to live with Iolyn's Mama. Then Bedwyr and Braith's Mama and Dada died and we all went to live with Iolyn's Mama. Then Eurwen's sister, Luned, had her baby – Tesni," she pointed to the small girl cuddled in my lap, "but Iolyn's Mama died, so Luned became all our Mama. Then she died…"

I blinked. "OK… I've completely lost you." I admitted slowly. "Right… stand in order."

"What order?" The girl asked me, smiling slightly. Her eyes were twinkling and I knew instantly that she was clever. I couldn't help myself smirking back.

"Age order." I told her. "If you can?"

"Of course!" She laughed, as though I'd asked the simplest question ever. The children arranged themselves quickly, the little girl at the end of the row beckoning Tesni to her. My grip tightened on the little girl without me realising.

"No, it's alright. Tesni's obviously the youngest." I told her, getting to my feet and balancing the toddler on my hip. Standing in front of the row of children I sighed. I couldn't abandon them; there had to be something I could do to help. "Can you tell me your names and ages? I'll do my best to remember them."

"I'm Mair, I'm nine; almost ten." The girl who'd done all the talking said quickly, stepping forward. Then she stepped back and the girl next to her stepped forwards.

"I'm Eurwen and I'm nine too."

"Bedwyr, eight." The dark haired little boy beside her said.

"Haydn, seven." Mair's brother told me, gazing up through big, blue eyes.

The red-headed boy beside him moved forwards. "Gwil, seven."

"Iolyn, five." The blonde boy beside him lisped.

"We're Alis and Bron." The last two girls said together. One, the blonde, was obviously Mair's sister and the other, with her raven hair, was obviously Bedwyr's sister. "We're both five, too."

"And Tesni's two." Mair added helpfully.

Suddenly I felt like Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music, being greeted by all these children. They were looking up at me expectantly, as though they were expecting that I would look after them. I didn't know what to do. They were just children, I couldn't abandon them. Neither, though, could I take on the responsibility of becoming their Mother. Although I was stuck here until the Doctor turned up, or my Vortex Manipulator decided to work again.

"Right…" I said with a sharp exhalation of breath. "Where do you live?"

They led me over the ground. Without warning a forest sprang up out of nowhere. My eyebrows furrowed, but I said nothing, following them and trying to stay calm. They chattered excitedly, happy that there was an adult to look after them again.

After walking through the trees for a while, the vegetation opened up and revealed a settlement. Astonished, I followed the children through the maze of buildings. Derelict houses and other buildings lay dotted around. The children ignored them, almost as though they weren't there, although I caught Mair staring at one sadly, tears in her eyes. Without thinking I reached out and squeezed her arm. She smiled back, brightly.

The house the children lived in was large enough to hold all of them, but small enough to be cosy. I nodded appreciatively as Eurwen handed me a mug of boiling water infused with herbs of some kind. It was pleasant enough, but I decided I still preferred good old-fashioned tea. With the younger children busying themselves with various tasks; some playing and others apparently working, I turned to the two older girls.

"How long have you been on your own?" I asked seriously, putting down my mug and staring at them.

"Well… Luned was killed a year ago. So since then, I guess." Eurwen said calmly. I looked at her carefully, remembering that it was her older sister. She seemed to be showing very little emotion as she spoke about her death.

"So you've been alone since then?" I asked and they nodded wordlessly. "Well… you've coped better than I would. Hang on… you said Luned was killed? What killed her?"

"The monsters." Mair told me matter-of-factly, shrugging. "They got all our parents, our brothers and sisters, our uncles and aunts, our cousins and our friends. We're lucky they didn't get us."

"Yet…" The younger girl added with a shrug, turning to scoop her niece off the ground and burying her face in Tesni's hair.

My stomach flipped over. The way they accepted what had happened, what could still happen, was frightening. They were so much younger than me, just children, and yet they were so brave and so strong.

"How long ago did the monsters first appear?" I asked quickly, standing up and moving to the window under the pretence of watching the other children who were outside. The reality was that I couldn't bear to see the expressions on the girls' faces.

"A little under four years ago." Mair told me quietly. "I was six."

"This settlement… it's far too big for a couple of families…"

"There were so many people when I was little. There were shops and a school and a doctor and a library…" Eurwen said enthusiastically, but her voice trailed off. "We don't go there now, though."

Mair stood up; her chair scraping across the floorboards and making me turn quickly to face her. "So. Are you going to be our new Mama?"

Slowly I shook my head. "No. But I'm going to help you. And there's a man, a wonderful man and he's going to come and find me and when he does he'll find you somewhere safe to life." I promised. "Trust me."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: If you hadn't guessed, the children's names are Welsh… they work quite well as Alien names, I think :P**_

_**Here's a little pronunciation guide for you ;)**_

**Luned** – Loo-Ned

**Mair** - Mire

**Eurwen** – Er-Wen

**Bedwyr ** – Bed-Wir

**Haydn** – Haid-N

**Gwil** – basically what it says!

**Iolyn** – Yol-In

**Alis ** - Alice

**Bron** – again, read it how it's spelt!

**Tesni** – Tez-Knee

* * *

><p><em><strong>I just wanted to say hello to you all :) and thank you so much for all the comments :)<strong>_

_**I do love you lot!**_

_**ANNND...**_

_**TheOnyxRose: Yep, Journey's End :D**_

_**Snowy702: Hello again sweetheart! **_

_**1945: After these chapters is an entry that's set directly after Evie being left in Stormcage, so you'll find out what happened next!**_


	25. Stuck 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Stuck**

Mair had given up her bed for me the night before and gone to share with Eurwen and Tesni. It was softer than I'd expected as I lay down on it, but it still felt wrong. It wasn't my bed on the TARDIS and it wasn't my bunk in Stormcage. It smelt of the little girl who was bringing up her brothers and sisters virtually on her own.

After a couple of hours staring at the dark ceiling, I slipped out of bed and went down the narrow, spiral staircase and into the living room. The embers of the fire were still glowing gently in the fireplace and I was grateful that it wasn't cold because I had no idea how to get it going again.

Curling up in a chair in front of it, I thought back over what the children had told me about the monsters. They called them large, winged beasts who swooped down and devoured their victims before they could run away. I hadn't ever heard or seen such beasts before, unless they were some kind of Pteranodon, but from the descriptions and the drawings the younger children had done me, I didn't think they were.

There was a pitter-patter of small feet on the staircase and I jumped slightly, almost having forgotten where I was. My thoughts were shattered as a small, blonde head appeared in my line of vision and a child climbed into my lap.

"Err…" I muttered, leaning backwards to work out who had just invaded my personal space. "Why aren't you in bed, Alis?"

"Couldn't sleep." The little girl said with a shrug.

"Fair enough." I agreed, mirroring the movement of her shoulders. It seemed like a good excuse. It was the same one as I had, anyway. "So… what d'you normally do when you can't sleep?" Alis just shrugged again, burying her head into my shoulder. "Well, when I can't sleep my M… my Mum tells me stories. Or she used to, when I was little, like you are."

"Can you tell me a story?" Alis asked, blinking up at me with her big blue eyes. I'd been worried at the mention of Mum, but apparently she either hadn't noticed or hadn't been bothered.

"I suppose so…" I agreed slowly, thinking. Then I started to tell her about the time the Doctor had taken Mum and I to New New New York and we'd been caught in a snow storm. Before I'd reached the end of the story Alis was asleep so I carried her carefully back up the stairs and laid her in her bed, beside Bron's. The dark haired little girl was fast asleep, although I heard her muttering something 'Mama' in her sleep.

The next night Alis begged me for another bedtime story and she and Bron listened eagerly, until they fell asleep mid-way through my tale about my encounter with the Frog People on Huxil. The night after that, Iolyn and Gwil appeared in the girls' room for a story as well and soon I was telling them all a story every night, before having to carry most of them back to bed.

Before I knew it, I'd been with the children for a whole two weeks. The domesticity of it was almost painful. I wasn't used to being in situations like this. With Mum and the Doctor I had practically no responsibility, but here I couldn't help feeling as though I was in charge of the nine children.

I have never cooked a meal before in my life. Never. But now I had no choice other than to cook for all ten of us. Mair and Eurwen showed me the basics; what was suitable to eat and what wasn't. After my first attempt at a meal – some kind of bread with a vegetable stew – was widely considered a success… although the girls sighed at the amount of washing up I'd generated. After that I'd spent the mornings helping with their lessons, introduced them to sandwiches for their lunch and spent the afternoons doing various tasks around the house before cooking dinner and putting the children to bed.

It was exhausting.

Most nights I fell asleep in the chair in front of the fire, not even bothering to climb the stairs and collapse on the bed. My dreams were plagued with monsters, the Doctor and the little blue box. If they didn't find me soon I was convinced I was going to turn into a normal person… I was going to actually start liking this kind of life.

"Evie?" Mair called in a quiet voice, skipping down the last couple of steps and perching on the arm of the chair. I stretched and rubbed my eyes, waking myself up.

"What's up, sweetie?" I asked, shifting slightly so she could slide off the arm and onto my lap.

"You know that man you told us about? The Doctor?"

"Mmmm…."

"Is he actually coming?" She looked at me with such wide-eyed innocence that I couldn't stop myself pressing a kiss to her temple and sighing. She'd taught me so much that I mostly completely forgot that she was only nine.

"Of course he is, sweetheart." I promised. "He always comes when I call. Always. But… sometimes it takes him a while. His timing isn't always brilliant."

The girl wasn't totally reassured. "But what if the monsters come back before the Doctor comes?"

"Don't you worry yourself about the monsters." I ordered her sternly. "If any of them turn up I'll deal with them, alright."

"Alright…" She said with a small smile, hugging me before slipping off my lap and heading back to her bedroom. "Night, Mama…"

"Night." I called softly, before realising what she'd called me. Then I closed my eyes and sighed. I was really hoping they wouldn't get too attached and that the Doctor would turn up before I had to deal with any monsters.

x-x

"Gwil, Haydn!" I shouted leaning through the doorway of the house what must have been months later, Tesni clutching my leg. "Come on! I'm not going to tell you again!"

"What, Mama?" Gwil called back, looking at me innocently. His red hair was all ruffled and there was a smudge of dirt across his nose and cheek. Beside him Haydn was hardly any cleaner.

Taking a breath I shook my head. "Inside! Bedwyr has already started setting the table for dinner and I asked you to help him. So scoot! Wash your hands and faces first though, please."

The boys pushed past me and I ruffled their hair fondly as they went; they'd grown up so much. I'd given up trying to stop them calling me Mama after about a week and was used to it now. It had been so long since I'd arrived here that I'd lost track of time. I'd given up trying to keep track after a couple of months. Something seemed to be supressing my memories of life before. But I didn't mind, everything was comfortable and safe and we were happy.

"Mama, the table's set." Bedwyr called from inside and I smiled at him broadly.

"Good boy. Pop and get the others would you, sweetie. I think Mair took Alis and Bron to the river and Eurwen took Iolyn to the herb patch with her." I called, putting Tesni into the high chair I'd cobbled together and ignoring her squirming and whining as she held out her hands to be picked up again. Singing quietly to her, I served the dinner. My cooking had improved significantly with practice and I'd even managed to make pies; vegetable, of course. There was no meat.

A cry came from the crib in the corner and I rushed over to pick up the baby. We'd come across her on the edge of the settlement a month or so ago. At first I'd thought she was dead. There was no way she couldn't be. There was no one else around and she was so small. As soon as I'd scooped her off the ground, however, she'd stirred and opened her eyes, gazing at me. After that there was no question; I suddenly had ten children to look after.

"Shhh, Haf, Mama's here…" I crooned to the baby, rocking her gently as I returned to the kitchen and continued dishing up the children's dinner. When the plates were all on the table, with Tesni stabbing happily at her dinner, I started feeding Haf.

"Mama… they're home!" Tesni announced. I shot her a quick smile.

"Wash your hands and come and sit down, sweethearts." I called, looking down again as I heard the tell-tale sounds of the children returning. "Mair, do me a favour and tie Tesni's bib on tighter, would you?"

"Mama! Look what we found!" Alis and Bron chorused excitedly.

"I'll look now, darlings." I called, still not moving my gaze from Haf. "Let me just finish feeding the baby and I'll come. Eat your dinner, before it goes cold."

"But, Mama!" Iolyn joined in. "You have to see!"

With a deep, tired sigh, I turned around, expecting to be presented with a bunch of wild flowers or another book they'd rescued from the library of even perhaps a fish they'd caught in the river. What greeted me instead was a pair of familiar faces. My mouth dropped open. I'd almost completely forgotten the faces that were beaming at me over the past months.

"M-Mum?" I muttered, unsurely. "Doctor?"

"Evie!" Mum almost screeched, running headlong at me. Then she stopped abruptly, seeing the young child in my arms. "What…?"

"Mama? Is this the Doctor you told as about all that time ago?" Eurwen asked, tilting her head to one side. The children seemed fascinated by the tall, skinny man. They boys were almost hanging off his clothes in excitement.

"Sit down and eat your dinner." I said in a controlled voice. They instantly did as they were told. "Mair… can you…" I held out the baby and the oldest girl took her and the bottle and moved away to sit at the bench at the table.

"Evie, what's going on?" Mum asked in total confusion. "Who are all these children?"

"Kids, I'm just popping outside for a minute." I told them with a reassuring smile. There was a chorus of 'OK, Mama' as they concentrated on eating. As I was ushering the adults outside so we could talk properly Haf began grizzling in Mair's arms and I sighed and scooped her up, smiling at the older girl.

Mum sat down heavily on a pile of chopped wood, staring up at me in shock as I looked back at her blankly. "So, what's been going on?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Pronounciation guide update… :)**_

_**Haf**_ - Harv


	26. Stuck 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Stuck**

"You've taken your time, haven't you?" I snapped. Their arrival had caused the memories that had been supressed during the past months to be sharpened and I remembered everything clearly.

"We got your message yesterday. It took us until now to work out where the signal was coming from. There seems to be some kind of temporal field around this place." The Doctor said calmly with a shrug.

"There is no way you've only been a day." I told him furiously, shaking my head.

"But we have, sweetie." Mum assured me, almost pleading.

"I'm sorry but that is not possible." I argued. "Haf was born about a month ago. I think…"

"Is she…" Mum started, staring at the baby.

The Doctor held out the sonic screwdriver to the thick leather strap on my wrist, restoring power to the Vortex Manipulator. "This will tell us how long you've been here."

I hastily tapped at the device and my mouth dropped open at the numbers on the display. Furiously I rounded on the Doctor, clutching the baby tightly. Sensing something was wrong she started to scream.

"Three years…" I hissed, advancing on him. I was so angry I could hardly talk. "Three bloody years I've been here!"

Haf was thrust unceremoniously at Mum, who gazed at her as though she was a bomb, while I leapt at the Doctor. My eyes flashed wildly and I jabbed my finger accusingly into his chest, screaming and swearing at him as my emotions crashed over me like a wave.

"Evie…. Evie!" He tried to soothe me, his hands held up in front of his face as I started thumping every part of him I could reach.

I only stopped when I heard a small voice asking, "Why's Mama attacking the man? Should we help her?"

With a deep breath, I turned, whacking the Doctor in the face with my hair and went back to the children. Taking Haf from Mum's arms, I ushered them back into the house and closed the door firmly, still absolutely furious. Outside I could hear Mum laying into the Doctor for being useless.

"Who are those people, Mama?" Iolyn asked, tugging on my arm. I realised I'd glazed over, staring at a blank spot on the wall.

"What, sweetie? Oh… that's the Doctor and my Mum."

"Why are you so angry?" Eurwen asked quietly, looking a little scared. Sitting down heavily on the sofa I sighed and allowed them all to try and climb into my lap. It wasn't a massive success, but in the end we all fitted on the seat… just about.

"I've been here three years." I told them with a small smile. "I didn't even realise… it's all just… squished together. I thought maybe a year… but three?"

"Don't you like it here, Mama?" Bron asked, twisting a strand of her dark hair in her fingers nervously.

"Oh, sweetie, of course I do!" I assured her and the others quickly. "But… three years is a very long time. I'm twenty-two now… I've missed so much."

"But… you've been with us?" Gwil pointed out.

"And that's what is going to make this even harder." I told him, tears appearing in my eyes.

Mair stared at me, as though she was looking straight into my head. "What do you mean?"

"I have to go." I explained gently. "And I won't be able to look after you. I'll make sure the Doctor finds you a lovely new Mama and Dada, but it won't be me."

"Why?" Alis asked, her eyes widening in horror at the prospect.

"My life with Mum and the Doctor is far too dangerous for children." I told them. "Remember those stories I tell you to help you sleep? It's just like that."

"With the Daleks?" Gwil asked shocked.

"And the Cybermen?"Haydn added nervously.

"And the Slitheen?" Bedwyr whispered.

"And the Judoon?" Iolyn questioned, his eyes wide.

I nodded. "With all of them. And more."

"But… you were younger than me when you did some of the things you've told us about." Eurwen pointed out, raising an eyebrow. It was a look that she'd picked up from me.

"I know… but I was brought up with those things. You haven't been. It wouldn't be fair."

"But I want to stay with you, Mama!" Tesni cried, sobbing loudly. I kissed her on the forehead.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. But I promise the Doctor will find you someone much better than me to be your Mama."

By now they were all in tears. Even I was crying. Trying to comfort them, I began singing softly. It was a Gallifreyan lullaby I'd had sung to me when I was little. It generally did the trick and calmed the children down when they were upset. But if anything it was just making things worse.

I didn't notice the door opening and Mum moving to sit on the hard wooden bench at the table, watching us. Neither did I notice the Doctor creeping sheepishly to sit beside her. If the children noticed, they didn't tell me. When I did notice, I dried my eyes hurriedly and gently got to my feet, still clutching the baby tightly.

"Well?" I asked, raising my eyebrows at them. "What happens now?"

"We leave, Evie." The Doctor said gently. "Something has happened here, keeping it in a temporal stasis of its own. We shouldn't even be here."

"I'm not leaving the children." I said firmly.

"You're nineteen…" Mum muttered, looking at me sadly.

"No, thanks to dumbo over there I'm twenty-two." I spat. "And besides, I'm all they've got. I can't just leave them. They're as good as my kids, Mum."

"When we get in the TARDIS you'll revert to being nineteen again, as though these three years never happened." The Doctor said. "You only feel like this because of the temporal field around this settlement. It's feeding you a revised version of your history."

My eyes darkened in anger. "I don't care… I'm not leaving them."

"Love… you can't possibly look after ten children." Mum pressed, gently taking hold of my arm.

"I've done it for three years, haven't I?" I demanded. Then I sighed. "But I know… all I want is for the Doctor to find them somewhere safe and someone who'll take care of them."

We both turned to look at the Doctor hopefully. He glanced across at the sea of small faces and smiled. "I'll find somewhere." He promised. I grinned and kissed his cheek.

"Thank you."

He looked slightly taken aback and began chattering about nonsense at once, going bright red. Seeing that I was smiling again, the children instantly cheered up and all of their shyness vanished. At once they were swarming around Mum and the Doctor, asking questions and examining them closely.

"Right, children, we're leaving so go and get anything you want to bring with you and no, Haydn, you are not bringing the tree house." I ordered, taking charge quickly. There was an immediate stream of questions but I silenced it, holding up my free hand. "I've got to get Haf's stuff sorted so you'll have to manage on your own. Alis, Bron, if you need help ask your sisters. Boys I do not want any silliness and Tesni, sweetheart, you find your dollies and put them in their bag and I'll come and help you."

I caught a quick glance of Mum's expression as we whirled around the house in a blur of activity. She stood, motionless in the middle of the open-plan living-room with Haf in her arms as I collected up the baby's clothes and toys before going to help Tesni. When they were sorted, I quickly gathered up a few things of my own and smiled at them.

"Ready?" The Doctor asked, peering through the open doorway.

"Ready." The children chorused, filing out of the house and following him.

I took Haf from Mum and followed, glancing over my shoulder when she remained motionless. "Coming?"

x-x

The children loved the TARDIS. They'd heard all about it and the Doctor was incredibly upset that none of them said 'it's bigger on the inside'. Although he sometimes complains when people say that, I'm sure it's a moment that he really looks forward to. The only comment that was passed when the children entered the console room was from Gwil.

"It's not as big as I thought it would be." He said dismissively with a small shrug. I prodded him in the ribs and shook my head.

"Manners, you." I muttered.

"Sorry, Mama." He said at once, having the good grace to look a little apologetic. "Sorry, Doctor." The Doctor just sniffed and moved away to the controls. I smirked slightly at Mum, who couldn't help smiling back.

"You've changed, Evie." Mum said suddenly, sidling up to me. I was leaning against the railings around the console, rocking Haf gently and keeping my eyes on the children who were running around and getting under the Doctor's feet. As much as he kept tutting and sighing I could tell he loved it.

"What d'you mean?"

"The way you were with the children; so firm and yet they obviously adore you."

"I'm their Mum." I said simply with a shrug.

"But you're not, honey." She told me softly.

I snorted slightly. "Try telling my heart that. Or my brain or… well… try telling that to any part of me that will listen. You're a Mum… you know what it feels like. It's irrational."

"Yes, but…"

"Haf was a couple of days old when I found her." I said quickly. "Which doesn't really make any sense, because that was only a couple of months ago and there was no one else there; just me and the kids."

"Oh… I did wonder about that. I thought… well I thought she might actually have been yours."

"She is… just not… biologically." I contradicted with a shrug. "And Tesni, I'm pretty much the only Mum she's ever known. She was only tiny when her Mum was killed. And Alis, Bron and Iolyn… they don't remember anyone but me either. Haydn, Gwil and Bedwyr pretend they can remember their real parents, but they can't. Only Mair and Eurwen can remember what it was like before. I'm the only Mum these kids can remember."

"They're kids, sweetie." Mum told me gently. "They're resilient. They'll cope."

It was a couple of moments before I could bring myself to answer. "But I don't think I will."

There was a strange look in her eyes when she smiled. "You will, trust me."

x-x

The Doctor wouldn't let me go out of the TARDIS and take the children to their new home. He said that it would be easier on them and me if I let him and Mum take them. I said my goodbyes in the console room; giving each child and hug and a kiss and telling them to be good and brave. I handed each child a small card for them to remember me by and retreated to my bedroom to write this. I haven't stopped crying since the doors closed behind them.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Evie?" River called softly, knocking on the door of her daughter's bedroom. She pushed it open and sat on the bed, pulling the sobbing figure of the teenager into her arms, rocking her gently. "It'll be alright. They're safe and happy."<strong>_

"_**Where are they, Mum?" Evie asked looking pleadingly up at her with tear-filled eyes.**_

"_**I can't tell you, sweetie."**_

"_**Why?"**_

_**River didn't answer. She just sighed and shook her head, stroking Evie's hair. "Go and see the Doctor. He's got something for you."**_

_**Wordlessly the teenager nodded, sniffed and stood up, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. She went out of the room, making up her mind to finally ask the Doctor what those monsters had been, as though her mother had just announced there was an army of Daleks waiting for her. **_

_**Feeling terrible, River reached under Evie's pillow and pulled out her diary. She ran her fingers over the smooth cover and took a deep breath, opening it to the most recent entry and neatly tearing out the pages. She made sure her daughter wouldn't notice they were missing and folded the sheets of paper, tucking them into her bra ready to be hidden properly later. **_

_**In the console room of the TARDIS, the Doctor would be taking care of the rest. They'd decided between them that it would be better for the teenager if she didn't remember any of this. Pushing the diary out of sight, River wondered whether he had finished wiping Evie's memory yet. Her question was answered when the Doctor appeared in doorway, the unconscious girl in his arms, laying her gently on the bed.**_

"_**Come on." He told River gently, wrapping an arm around her waist. "She'll just think she's dozed off. If we're in here watching her it'll freak her out. Did you deal with her diary?" River nodded, unable to speak. "Did you read it?"**_

"_**Not yet… it would still be too painful." She admitted.**_

_**He nodded. "Later then. Come on… she deserves a treat after all that. Let's make ice cream sundaes!"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I feel REALLY horrible. As if I've actually hurt Evie. Honestly, I feel quite bad about it! But I got halfway through and thought… how can I end this without having ten kids on board the TARDIS? That would have been awkward!**_

_**So yeah… that's my little apology… mainly to myself and Evie (yes, I know she's fictional, but it must have hurt her feelings a little bit!). :)**_


	27. All Singing and Dancing

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: All Singing and Dancing**

Age: 21

Location: The TARDIS

Date: –

* * *

><p><em><strong>River threw open the TARDIS doors and leant in the doorway, crossing her arms over her chest. She stared out at the dark-haired girl who was huddled on her bed, sleeping fitfully. Evie was clutching the blankets around her and had stuck one thumb in her mouth. The woman knew that when they were apart her daughter struggled as much as she did. <strong>_

"_**Evie, sweetie?" She called softly. Instantly the girl's eyes snapped open, the thumb was wrenched from her mouth and she shot into an upright position.**_

"_**Mum?" She called, anxiously. River smiled.**_

"_**It's me… come on, punishment over."**_

"_**Brilliant!" Evie breathed, leaping fully dressed off the bunk and jumping towards her. River laughed and used the Doctor's screwdriver to sonic the cell open.**_

* * *

><p>Mum had calmed down in record time. Well, from my side anyway. I'd only been alone in Stormcage for a matter of hours. There was no telling how long she and Dad had been travelling, although it must have been longer than I'd been alone, because Jenny had gone. Apparently she'd fancied taking in the sights on twentieth century Italy.<p>

I actually found that I missed my sister's presence around the TARDIS. Although I'd resisted any feelings of sisterly affection towards her to begin with, we'd actually got on well and I liked her company. With a sigh, I decided to put it out of my mind, assuming I'd see her soon.

"Is that…" I pricked up my ears, trying to recognise the music that was reaching my ears from somewhere within the TARDIS. "Is that from _Evita_?" I glanced at Mum, slightly reproaching. "It is, isn't it? It's _Another Suitcase in Another Hall_!"

She laughed, closing the doors and moving to the console, making the police box dematerialise. "A, how do YOU know that? And b, it's the Doctor's music. He's fixing something in the second bathroom."

"I happen to like musicals." I told her with a slight shrug, looking nonchalant. Mum's mouth twitched involuntarily into a smirk. "Is that a problem?"

"No… but the fact that you could identify the song from the last couple of bars is quite amusing." She admitted, leaning against the console and crossing her arms. "How have I missed out on the fact that you like musicals? I mean, I know your father has an almost unhealthy love of them, but you? I mean… he's the sort of person you'd expect to like a good old song and dance… you should see him at weddings! But you've always loved guns and adventures and adrenaline."

"So I'm a walking contradiction. Although I put on enough plays and things when I was little, didn't I?" I asked her, shrugging again. Then I tilted my head, listening to the music. "And now he's onto the _Wicked!_ soundtrack. I saw that one three times…"

"Really? When?" Mum demanded in surprise.

"You and the Doctor were always going off… I needed something to do! I spent most of my time on Earth, in London's West End."

"You never cease to surprise me, sweetie." Mum laughed, wrapping her arms around me and pressing a kiss to my temple.

"I do my best." I teased, removing myself from her grip and dancing away, moving in time to the music Dad was listening to. She threw back her head and laughed even more, watching me with the same expression as she had done when I was little and putting on plays and dance routines for her and the Doctor and my Grandparents.

"You could be an actress, darling." She said with a grin, shaking her head slightly in amusement.

Wrinkling up my nose slightly, I peered around the console at her. "I was once… I got a bit lost one day and somehow got mistaken for someone else…"

"What happened?"

"Ever heard of The Morning Song?" I asked casually.

Mum nodded. "Of course… it's a twenty-second century classic. I've never actually seen it though… never got round to watching it."

"Yeah… I don't think you should. The main character might be a little familiar. The real actress wasn't best pleased…"

Her mouth dropped open. "But filming a movie takes months! I'd have noticed… oh, obviously I wouldn't because you're far better at timing than your father."

I grinned and laughed. "Speaking of my father… he now seems to be listening to the _Mamma Mia_ soundtrack, so I think that's our cue to distract him."

x-x

"So where d'you want to go?" The Doctor asked, beaming at me. He was obviously delighted that Mum had forgiven me and that I was back. He hadn't been quite so amused when I'd appeared in the bathroom, serenading him with the chorus of _Our Last Summer_ as it played over the speaker system.

"What about the Planet of Musicals?" I teased, keeping my face as straight as I could. He glowered at me.

"Or maybe not." Mum said, squeezing my shoulders and smiling.

"I'm only joking, Papa… no need to make a song and dance about it."

"I don't like puns, Evie." He said sulkily, looking like a moody child.

"You make enough of them." Mum pointed out, winking at me. "And most of them are terrible."

He made a 'hmphing' sound in his throat and crossed his arms, glaring at us underneath his floppy hair. I grinned broadly, knowing that his bad temper wouldn't last long. He was almost incapable of staying annoyed at me when I was in a mood like this.

"Sorry, Daddy!" I said sweetly. "How about a trip to the West End, would that make you feel better?"

He hesitated, wanting to say yes but worrying that I would tease him. I raised an eyebrow, actually able to see him fighting with himself. Mum started laughing softly, knowing where this was going to go.

"What for?"

"To see a musical, of course. I'll even let you chose!" I told him with a broad grin.

"What's it going to be, then?" Mum asked, staring at him with a sweetly innocent expression. "Something classic… maybe _My Fair Lady_ with Julie Andrews? Or something to cater more to your mental age; _Shrek the Musical_?"

The Doctor growled again and moved to the controls. Under his breath we heard his answer. "I want to see Shrek."

Unable to look at each other without bursting into hysterical giggles at the expression on his face, Mum and I turned away from each other, biting our lips to keep our stifled laughter silent.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello lovely people! I have a quick question and a request.**_

_**The request: I'd love some prompts. I have ideas, but seeing as you're reading this I thought it might be quite nice if you suggested some things you might want to read? Message me them or leave them in a review. They can be as detailed as you like – but if they're vague be warned! My mind is quite random so you could end up with something completely different to what you were expecting! ;)**_

_**The question: Do you prefer the 'one-shot' type entries, or the longer 'multi-chapter' ones? I was just wondering because I've got a few of each ready and waiting to be uploaded and was interested on what you liked better!**_

_**:)**_

_**B x**_


	28. Two Hearts

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Two Hearts**

Age: 18

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: August 2009

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>No… because if you wander off something bad is going to happen to you." River Song's voice could be heard clearly from Jack's office. With a smile, the man stood up from the chair behind his desk and moved out onto the small balcony that overlooked the main part of the hub.<strong>_

"_**Well it hasn't yet, has it?" The woman's headstrong daughter was sighing; her tone clearly exasperated as she thought her mother was overreacting or being too protective. **_

"_**Not yet, but it will." **_

"_**Eurgh… you're so boring!" The teenager announced as they came into view on the lift. **_

_**Jack grinned and swung Evie round in his arms, making her squeal and slap his hands until he let her go. "Alright, titch?"**_

"_**Hey, Uncle Jack." She said, grinning at him before heading further into the hub to see what was going on.**_

"_**Can you watch her for a bit? She's doing my head in!" River said with a sigh, glancing over to where her daughter was examining some photos on one of the desks. "Last week she stole the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and went off on her own. Three hours later she turned up with bruises all over her and her clothes torn to shreds… she still won't tell us what happened. The week before that she broke into the Palace of the Fifth Arm on Shoon and nearly got executed for treason. Before that she kidnapped the pet pig of the French Ambassador on the Ninth Moon of Lors and we had to change the timelines to get it back to him. It's just one thing after another."**_

"_**She's a teenager, River. She's your daughter. Would you expect her to stick to the rules? I mean, look at you and her father!"**_

"_**Jack! That's enough." The woman snapped, throwing a quick glance towards the girl. **_

"_**You still haven't told her?" Jack asked, slightly amused. River shook her head. "She'll be alright here. We'll keep her safe."**_

_**River smiled weakly. "Thank you… I'm convinced she's going to end up dead if she doesn't calm down."**_

* * *

><p>"I'm bored, Jack." I moaned, swinging my legs wildly from my perch on the desk. He glanced up at me from the paperwork he was sorting through and raised an eyebrow. "I know Mum told you to look after me and make sure I don't get into trouble… but really? Can't I do anything?"<p>

"Listen, sweetheart," he said, leaning forwards and looking seriously at me over his clasped hands, "this has nothing to do with anything your mother did or didn't tell me. I've got a lot of work to do. Now we're down to two…" He shook his head and returned his attention to the paperwork again.

I sighed. Jack had explained what had happened to Owen and Tosh and Ianto since I'd been here last, for Gwen's wedding. To me it had only been a couple of weeks but to them so much time had passed and so much had happened. I felt guilty then for badgering him to do something more interesting. Ianto's loss, particularly, must have been so raw.

"Where's Gwen?" I asked after a while, unable to contain my boredom any more.

Jack sighed loudly again. "She's out."

"But I'm bored!" I complained loudly, jumping off the desk and moving around. I picked up several objects and examined them closely. "Oh… you've got a Taamichi." I pointed out, turning a small sphere over in my hands. Colours mixed and swirled together inside it.

"I was wondering what that was." Jack said, almost reluctantly. "What does it do?"

"Nothing… The Gwixon people give it to their young as a form of entertainment. I've got one, somewhere." I informed him casually. Then I lifted up a long, flat metal object. Along one face were square tiles, almost like one of those moving puzzles that children play with. "Ahh… a Flixeon Plank!"

"A what?"

"It's like a calculator. A bit off though, hang on…" I fiddled with the tiles, moving them backwards and forewords, up and down, side to side, until they matched up in a pattern. "There we go. Fixed!"

"You sound just like –" Jack started, staring at me oddly. Then he stopped and shook his head. "You're so annoying, d'you know that?"

I grinned. "Yep."

"What's happened to you?" He demanded suddenly, almost angrily. "The last time I saw you… you were so… sweet and compassionate and excited by everything. But now…"

"I'm bored, Jack." I told him loudly, opening my arms wide to signify just how bored I was. "I want to see everything, I want to do everything! There's a whole universe out there just waiting for me. They don't understand how… suffocating… it is to constantly be told what to do and when."

"Evie! You get so much freedom. Think about it… how many teenagers have seen and done all the things you have?" He fumed.

I shook my head and laughed angrily. "But they don't know what they're missing, do they?"

"Why are you so angry with everyone and everything?" Jack asked softly, moving slowly across the metal grill flooring of the hub towards me. "What's happened to you?"

"There's… inside me. In my head… inside my body…" I said in a low voice. I'd squeezed my eyes closed, one hand balled into a fist pressing against my chest. My head lowered so that my chin almost touched the top of my hand, clenched to the flesh over my sternum so tightly that there was a sharp pain. "I don't know what it is, Jack… but it burns like fire. It makes me so angry. When I close my eyes there's a heat in my head that's so intense… it burns even more. I want to scream and fight and cry all at the same time. I hate Mum and I hate the Doctor and I even hate you. I hate everyone. I'm just so angry!"

He looked gobsmacked as my words tumbled from my mouth in a stream. When I stopped I took a deep breath and turned away from him, hearing my blood pounding in my ears. I closed my eyes and I could almost see the bubbling liquid surging through my veins. I didn't understand what was happening. All I knew was that it was driving me mad and that it was worst when I was on board the TARDIS. I couldn't bare it and I couldn't stand it anymore.

"What's happening to me, Jack?" I whispered, barely audibly.

In an instant he was beside me, hugging me to him and stroking my hair. He whispered reassuringly in my ear; telling me that everything would be alright. He didn't know any better than I did what was happening, but he was Captain Jack Harkness and he was determined to find out.

Leading me down to the medical bay, he lifted me easily onto the bed and began setting up the equipment. The scanners whirred and images danced over the screens around the area. Rotating images of my DNA flashed across the monitors and Jack muttered as he worked, analysing and cross-referencing and trying to understand.

"You need to stay still, Evie." He ordered agitatedly, unable to get a clear signal from my body.

"I am!" I told him indignantly.

Glancing at me quickly, he saw that I was telling the truth. Confused, he returned his attention to the readings on the monitor to his right. They were jumping around alarmingly. Something inside me was sending them haywire. Reaching quickly into a drawer he pulled out a large needle, which he loaded with clear liquid from a small vial.

"Don't you DARE!" I warned, furiously as he advanced quickly, the needle aloft.

"I'm so sorry." He told me as he plunged the needle into my arm and everything went black.

x-x

"What d'you want me to do?" I heard Jack's voice ask as I groggily opened my eyes and swallowed several times. "I can't do that… no, RetCon is far from reliable enough for this. I'm telling you it would take away too much. No… I can't just reduce the dose. She's your daughter! You're going to have to come."

Vaguely I took in what he was saying. Who was he planning to RetCon? Retroactive Continuity; memory wiping chemicals; B67. My thoughts were disjointed, almost not making sense.

"Get here now!" Jack continued angrily. "I mean it… there's something very wrong here and I can't work it out on my own."

"Jack!" Gwen's voice called out. "She's awake."

"Now." Jack ordered and then footsteps came towards me and I felt myself being hoisted up into a seated position. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm… I feel a bit funny, actually." I admitted.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Gwen asked, instantly alarmed. She shot Jack an accusing look and put her arms round me.

"My head. It's like… I can't explain it. And then in here…" I pointed to my chest, pressing my eyes closed again. "It's like someone's squeezing my heart and stretching it at the same time. It hurts, Gwen…" I told her, tears falling down my cheeks.

"Move aside!" A familiar voice said and there was a clank as someone jumped down the steps into the medical bay. The Doctor's face appeared in my line of vision and he gently pushed Gwen aside so that he could scan me with the sonic screwdriver. Jack muttered that he'd taken all the readings necessary, but the Doctor just ignored him and carried on.

"Evie?" Mum's panic-stricken voice echoed through the hub and the next thing I knew she'd launched herself at me, hugging me tightly. Then she turned on Jack furiously. "Every time I leave her with you something happens! For god's sake, she's your Goddaughter! You're supposed to look after her!"

"This isn't actually Jack's fault…" The Doctor told her, calmingly.

"What?" Mum demanded, rounding on him now, still holding me tightly.

"This is normal. She's absolutely fine." He continued, sliding the sonic screwdriver back into his jacket pocket and sitting down on one of the swivel chairs dotted around the medical bay. He crossed his legs and put his arms behind his head.

"What's happening, Doctor?" Jack asked, looking at him totally confused.

"Evie's DNA… is it completely human?" The Doctor asked calmly. Everyone stared at the monitor that was displaying the slowly rotating image of the strand of DNA. Personally I didn't know what they were looking for, neither did I care. The pain in my chest was getting stronger.

"No… look… there…" Gwen whispered, jabbing at the image.

Jack gasped. "Of course, she's part human, part –"

"Part Time Lord." The Doctor said with a grin. "Just like her mother."

"So what's the pain?" Gwen asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Her second heart is forming properly."

"What?" Mum asked, looking at him in confusion. Her grip on me loosened slightly. "I never went through this?"

"No… Evie's different. There are… differences." He said vaguely. "You were made part Time Lord because of where you were… started." The Doctor told her, his face turning pink. Then he looked meaningfully at Mum. "Evie's part Time Lord for different reasons, isn't she? The… symptoms… have manifested themselves in different ways."

"But she'll be alright?" Mum asked.

"Of course. Although I think we should maybe get rid of this memory in her head to spare her –"

"Don't you dare!" I snapped fiercely.

"Fine, fine." The Doctor agreed easily. "But we should leave. You need to get back to the TARDIS and get some sleep."

I nodded and climbed off the bed, still feeling slightly wobbly.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Are you sure she'll be OK?" River asked nervously as she and the Doctor watched Evie sleeping later on.<strong>_

_**He nodded firmly. "She's more Time Lord than you, isn't she? I did wonder how like me she'd be… I still don't know if she'll be able to regenerate. I was even starting to think she wouldn't get a second heart."**_

"_**I can regenerate… well, I could. Surely she'll be able to?"**_

_**The Doctor shrugged. "I suppose we'll have to wait and see."**_

_**River pulled a face. "I'd rather not… just in case."**_

_**A/N: Just a little context for you… this would have been the last diary entry Evie wrote before being shot by the Dalek, put in the Time Loop and then meeting the Doctor for the 'first' time.**_

_**Another update so incredibly soon? Well… I'm moving into my new house at Uni tomorrow and I don't know when we'll have the internet up and working, so I thought I'd leave you with this! :)**_

_**See you soon lovelies! Hopefully! :D**_


	29. Freaky Friday

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Freaky Friday**

Age: 20

Location: The TARDIS

Date: –

* * *

><p>"River?" The Doctor shouted as the TARRIS began to shudder violently, sending us all spinning across the console room. There was no reply, but a loud crash from somewhere out of sight.<p>

With no hesitation, and ignoring the Doctor's warnings, Amy and Rory rushed off in the direction of the sound. Something significant had obviously happened between the last time I had seen them and then, because the younger versions of my Grandparents were suddenly incredibly protective of Mum. The Doctor had muttered something about Berlin and Hitler and a cupboard, but refused to go into further detail.

He grimaced at their retreating figures and turned to me, looking nervous. I grinned back reassuringly, my hands already dancing confidently over the controls in an attempt to rectify whatever had gone wrong with the old girl.

"Shields up, Evie." The Doctor suggested, moving round me and pointing unnecessarily at the correct lever to my left. I pulled a face but said nothing, pulling the handle firmly towards me and instantly feeling the time machine right itself slightly.

"Better?" I asked with a grin. He nodded, returning the look.

Before he could say anything, however, an even bigger jolt made the entire console room  
>shudder and we were thrown violently together, landing in a dishevelled heap on the floor.<p>

I winced, opening my eyes gingerly and feeling bruises forming at once.

"Bloody hell..." I muttered.

For a moment I thought that the Doctor had said the same words at precisely the same moment because I heard his voice. Then I glanced across the ground and saw myself sitting up and staring at me in horror.

"You're... Evie, you look like me." I heard my voice say.

"You look like me, Dad..." I informed him.

Apparently horrified he raised his hands... my hands... and examined them closely. Climbing to my feet... his feet... I looked down. The first thing I noticed was that I didn't have boobs. For the first time since I was about thirteen I could look down and see my stomach. Except that it wasn't my stomach; it was Dad's.

"What's happened?" I demanded.

The Doctor looked at me, disgustedly. "I'm a girl! I've got breasts!" He pointed out unnecessarily. I felt myself blushing at the words as he grabbed hold of them, staring at me in horror.

"Oi! Hands!" I snapped.

Instantly he blushed as well, realising what he was doing and dropped his hands to his sides. "Sorry!"

"Doctor?" Amy called as she, Rory and Mum came back into the room looking a little shaken, but apparently unharmed. She looked straight at me as she spoke. "What happened?"

"Not completely sure." Dad admitted in my voice.

"Shhh, Evie!" Mum admonished me, flapping a hand in the Doctor's direction. Everyone stared at me, seeing Dad. Then she leapt down the stairs and flung herself at me, burying her face in my shoulder and hugging me tightly. I could see a smudge of blood in her golden curls where she'd obviously hit her head during the turbulence.

"Are you OK?" I demanded, reaching up and taking hold of her head to examine the damage. She nodded and leant forwards, pressing her lips against mine. I dodged quickly, holding her at arm's length.

"You really don't wanna do that. I'm Evie." I informed her, glancing from her stunned face to Amy and Rory and receiving blank looks in return. "That's the Doctor."

"Don't be stupid!" Amy exclaimed.

"It's true." The Doctor assured her. "We seem to have switched bodies."

"Is this another of your ideas of funny joke?" Mum asked, raising an eyebrow and putting her hands on her hips. We both shook our heads.

The Doctor motioned for me to throw him the sonic screwdriver from his inside jacket pocket and I did so, waiting for him to aim it at me and the familiar whining to start up. He flicked it up, glancing at the readings and showed it to Mum. She gasped and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"My baby!" She wailed at me, most uncharacteristically.

"It's like that film… Freaky Friday!" Amy added, unhelpfully. I glared at her.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Dad said ignoring Mum's shock and Amy's flippant comment, moving quickly towards me. He grabbed me by the arm and dragged me closer to the console. "We need to work out what happened and how we can reverse it. And quickly."

Rory looked concerned. "Why quickly? Is it dangerous?"

"No." Dad told him honestly, turning to face the man and blushing slightly. So that was what my embarrassed face looked like, I thought, studying him closely. "I just need the toilet and don't think it's really appropriate at the moment."

He began flipping switches and trying to understand what was going on. As he stretched out to reach for a flashing red button, he grimaced at glared furiously at his hands. Or, rather, my hands.

"Your hands are ridiculously small, d'you realise that?" He asked, glaring at me as though it was my fault.

I glared back. "Well yours are ridiculously bloody big."

"Don't swear, Evie." He commanded.

Mum laughed softly behind us and we both whirled around angrily. "Sorry, sorry…" She apologised, holding up her hands and left us to turn back to the controls.

"Eurgh…" I muttered, staring at myself in slight disgust. "Are my thighs actually that big?"

"Oh shut up!" Mum and Amy chorused, sighing in exasperation, although Rory smirked slightly. Apparently hearing that phrase in the Doctor's voice amused him.

"I think I've managed to isolate the moment when the swap took place." Dad said, pointing to a line on the scanner screen. I bounced over to his side, almost tripping over feet that were bigger than I was used to. I traced the line, seeing a peak in the middle. "See… normal, normal, massive surge in energy, normal."

"So that's the moment when it happened…" I muttered, shaking my head slightly and flicking the Doctor's hair into my eyes. Growling slightly I brushed it aside. "But what caused it?"

"Massive temporal shift." He explained distractedly, rushing around the console. "When we bashed into each other we caused our consciousness's to be jolted out of our bodies and they latched onto the closest living thing they could find – each other."

"Right… so if we can simulate the environment we can jolt ourselves back again!" I said, understanding where he was going with this. Dad nodded and I beamed. "Mum, Amy, Rory, you need to get out of here. If you stay, we could all end up getting shoved in the wrong body. Being Dad is bad enough… I think I might have a breakdown if I end up as one of you. No offence."

They nodded and disappeared from the control room, separating slightly just in case. After a couple more minutes setting the controls, the TARDIS began to shake violently again and we looked at each other nervously.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded. "Good… and when we're back in the right bodies I think we need to have a little chat about this." He lifted up my top to reveal my pierced belly button. I grimaced, knowing that I was in for a lecture. He wasn't a massive fan of my attempts at expressing myself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Sighing, Evie stood up and walked away from her bed. As she passed the open door to her bathroom she smiled broadly, immensely relived to be in her own body once more. If the Doctor's idea hadn't worked, she wasn't sure what she would have done. Probably never washed or gone to the toilet again, she thought, shuddering.<strong>_

_**The Doctor had been equally relieved to find himself in his own body. There was too much going on in his daughter's. He wondered briefly how she managed to balance with such small feet and large breasts, but then he dismissed the thought with a violent shake of his head and a shudder. There were some things in this universe that he would never, should never and never wanted to understand. That was definitely one of those things.**_

* * *

><p>Hey lovelies! I'm back! Thanks for the prompt ideas and your reviews (as always)! I do love you guys! :D<p>

Bee x


	30. School 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: School**

Age: 14

Location: Chiswick, England, Earth

Date: 2011

* * *

><p>Mum, Gran, Gramps and the Doctor received a message the other day. One of the messages that mean they're off on one of their top secret missions that I'm not allowed to go on. But this time it was different. Usually they would drop me off with another version of my Grandparents while they were away. But not this time.<p>

There was a lot of deliberation as to where I should be left, safely out of harm's way. Mum suggested Uncle Jack, but the Doctor was reluctant. He thinks Jack is a bad influence on me. He probably has a point.

While flicking through Mum's diary, distracting myself from their bickering, I read about someone called Donna Noble. Apparently when I'm older she's going to be my best friend. Mum should REALLY learn to keep her diary away from me. Information like that is the sort of thing she and the Doctor are always warning me could change history.

I asked the Doctor about Donna. He looked wistfully into space for a moment before smiling fondly. He explained that she was the best friend he'd ever had, but that he'd lost her. Well, he lost her but then something amazing happened and she came back. But she couldn't travel with him anymore. The look in his eyes told me how much he missed her. He told me stories about Donna and her mother and her grandfather. She sounded brilliant.

The Doctor assured me that she was brilliant. Totally brilliant.

And with that it was decided. I was going to stay with Donna and her family. Mum and the Doctor just assumed that the Nobles would be happy to look after me. Almost bubbling with excitement at the process of seeing his best friend, the Doctor set the coordinates and we rushed off to Chiswick, London, Earth.

The TARDIS doors opened and I stepped out onto a tarmac pavement. Looking around I took in my surroundings with interest. I had never really spent much time on Earth before, unless I was with Gran and Gramps and then I only really went to Ledworth. But this was different. There wasn't much green, like there is in the village where my Grandparents live. The houses were all the same, with a drive outside and cars parked on them. Some had little gardens and others were just brick or tarmac. The other thing I noticed at once was that it was raining. Typical.

Beaming broadly, the Doctor led Mum and I past a blue car on the drive of a house and rang the doorbell that I assumed belonged to Donna. The bell jingled falsely as he pressed the button and we waited for someone to answer the door. After a couple of minutes a dark shape appeared on the other side of the frosted glass.

"Alright, alright!" A woman said in annoyance as the door was wrenched open. "Hello?"

I looked up at the red-headed woman who was staring at us in confusion. Her gaze was falling on me, a spark of recognition registered in her eyes, as though she thought she knew who I was but couldn't quite place me. Maybe it was because I knew we were friends in the future, but as soon as I set eyes on Donna Noble I felt safe.

Then she looked at the Doctor and she beamed, throwing her arms around him happily. He whirled her round in a circle before setting her back down on her feet. Then Donna hugged Mum, who laughed and complimented her hair.

"Hi… Donna." I said shyly.

"E-Evie?" She murmured, looking at me hard. I grinned at her and nodded. Shaking her head as though she still didn't quite believe it, Donna pulled us into the house out of the rain and hugged me tightly. Then she noticed the holdall in my hand. "What are you doing here?"

"We have a favour to ask." The Doctor told her simply, peering past her into the kitchen. "Can Evie stay here?"

The red-head looked confused at his request. Before she could respond either way a voice in the kitchen demanded to know who'd been at the door. I turned to look questioningly at Donna, who sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Oh… it's you." Her mother snapped, appearing in the doorway. Her eyes were fixed on the Doctor angrily. Then she switched her attention to me and she furrowed her eyebrows. Her face wore the same expression as Donna had done when she first saw me standing on the doorstep. "Is that…?"

"Yep." Donna agreed. "It's Evie."

"What are you doing here?" The blonde woman asked, not moving from the kitchen. Apparently she didn't like me much. It was quite strange, I decided, being disliked by someone you'd never met before.

"We were wondering whether you'd let Evie stay here for a while." Mum told her calmly, signalling for me to put down my bag.

"And why, might I ask?" She demanded, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at me. This reaction totally threw me. I hadn't expected to be questioned on the reasons.

"There's something that we need to do that Evie can't know about." The Doctor explained. I rolled my eyes and Donna grinned, catching my expression. "Usually she'd go and stay with her Grandparents or Jack," he admitted. I was convinced that I'd seen Donna twitch slightly at the mention of my Godfather, "but those aren't really options this time."

"She won't be any trouble, really." Mum promised, sending me a warning look.

"Well…" The blonde woman said, glancing at her daughter. Then she sighed. "How long for?"

"A couple of weeks? We'll be as quick as we can." The Doctor told her. I shot him a look. They hadn't told me they were going to be that long. I'd assumed I'd be here for a week at the longest.

Sylvia squeaked slightly at how long they were expecting to be away. And then she sighed. "Oh… I suppose she can stay; it's not as though Donna has anything better to do than babysitting."

Her daughter rolled her eyes as I complained, "I don't need a babysitter."

"Don't start." Mum muttered in my ear. "At least not until we've left."

Donna caught her words and grinned at me. Then we both glanced at her mother. Sighing, she nodded and retreated into the kitchen. I beamed at Donna, who couldn't stop herself smiling back. We said our goodbyes to Mum and the Doctor, before they went back to the TARDIS and Donna picked up my bag and led me upstairs, where she showed me into the guest room and left me to settle in.

x-x

"You never told us you'd come to stay with us." Donna said suddenly. We were walking down the high street the next day. Sylvia, her mother, had had enough of us getting under her feet and sent us out. "I mean, the first time I met you… well… you were older than this and had never met me before. You only knew who I was because of what the Doctor had told you."

"Really?" I asked, screwing up my face. "That's interesting… but you know what they say, time can be re-written. When did you first meet me, though? What happened?"

Donna laughed and shook her head. "No way, spacegirl. I know how this works. I'm not telling you anything. The Doctor would kill me if I did… not to mention your mother!"

"She's not as frightening as yours." I retorted with a grin. Donna considered my words for a moment then nodded in agreement.

There were a couple of minutes of quiet as we walked along the street in companionable silence. Despite only just having met Donna, and the age difference between us, I could understand why one day we'd be best friends. I already felt like I knew her better than almost anyone else.

"Shouldn't you be in school, young lady?" A gruff voice behind us asked, making Donna and I whirl around. I looked outraged at the very idea.

"She just moved here." Donna answered quickly the policeman quickly, taking one look at my face.

"Make sure she's enrolled soon…" He said grumpily. "You do know it's illegal for anyone under the age of sixteen to be out of education. It's an offence punishable with a prison sentence."

"Cheer up." I muttered, rolling my eyes. Donna glared at me.

"Of course." She said smiling sweetly at him. "We'll get onto that straight away."

"You'd better." The policeman told her threateningly. He was a right ray of sunshine. I glared at him, muttering under my breath and earning myself another look from Donna. "Name?"

"I'm not telling you." I snapped.

"Evie Song." Donna answered, pushing me out of the way. "I'm Donna Noble."

"Well, Ms Noble, I suggest you start making arrangements." He said before moving away. I raised my hand to send a rude gesture in his direction, but Donna slapped it down.

"Don't even think about it, sunshine." She snapped. "It seems that if you're staying here then we're going to have to get you into a school."

I stared at her in horror. The very idea of going to school was so strange that I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I'd never been to school in my life. Everything I'd learnt, I'd learnt from Mum or the Doctor or my Grandparents.

On the other hand it could be interesting; a new challenge. We carried on our walk in silence, both of us contemplating the idea. Donna was no doubt thinking about the logistics of it – which school, how to enrol me, what to tell them. I was imagining what it would be like.


	31. School 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: School**

The next afternoon I found myself being dragged into a large concrete and glass building. It looked a bit like the hospital on the planet Greshmar where Mum and I had been chased by a pair of hostile medics who thought we were planning to steal their cure for marsh fever. I screwed up my face as Donna and Sylvia pulled me through the metal gates and across the expanse of concrete to the glass double doors with 'Reception' written above them. Suddenly I wasn't so sure that this was a good idea.

Sylvia had been delighted at the prospect of enrolling me at the local comprehensive. When Donna and I arrived back at the house and told her about the warning we'd received from the policeman, the older woman had jumped into action. Apparently she was good friends with the Headmaster's secretary and was sure that she could get us an interview. And she had done.

"Don't you have anything smarter to wear?" She demanded as I appeared at the bottom of the stairs in jeans and a hoody that morning. I shook my head, biting my tongue. I hadn't considered the possibility that I would need smart clothes when I'd packed. Besides, I didn't really have any smart clothes. I never really needed them. "You'll have to wear that then, won't you?"

"Yep." I said, smiling calmly. Donna grinned at me from the kitchen table and pointed at the mug of tea in front of the empty chair beside her. I sat down and took it gratefully, receiving a wink from Donna's grandfather as I did so. I grinned back. Wilf was lovely.

So, I found myself being ushered into an office and shaking hands with a balding man who rose to greet us. He smiled warmly, but I instantly didn't trust him. Beside me, Donna seemed jumpy as well. Sylvia shot us both a look and we sat down, trying not to fidget.

"So, Ms Noble, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why is it that your daughter is transferring schools so near the end of the academic year?" He asked.

We glanced at each other. "Oh… she's not my daughter." Donna said quickly.

"No, no. She's not my mother!" I agreed. Catching the hurt look on Donna's face I quickly added, "I mean, I wouldn't mind if she was, but she isn't."

"Oh…" The Headmaster said. "So…"

"I'm her guardian." Donna explained. "Her mother is… out of the country… so she's staying with us."

I raised an eyebrow. Saying Mum was out of the country was a bit of an understatement. It seemed to satisfy the Headmaster, however, as he started talking about forms and uniforms and timetables. I stared out of the window as Sylvia and Donna started trying to make the arrangements. Every now and then I was called upon to provide them with details. A quick bit of maths in my head gave me a birthdate of December 1996 and instead of having to give my previous school's details Donna announced that I'd been home-schooled.

Then I was handed a uniform list and told that I needed to report to the main office at half past eight the next morning. My mouth dropped open. I wasn't used to early mornings and definitely wasn't looking forward to it.

x-x

"Evie get your bum down here this instant!" Donna shrieked up the stairs the next morning. I groaned and blinked at my reflection in the mirror. She had been forced to physically drag me out of bed by my foot that morning. Now I was staring at my reflection, dressed for the first time in my life in school uniform and ready to go. "Seriously, you cannot be late on your first day! Come ON!"

"I'M COMING!" I yelled. Then I sighed and climbed to my feet, heading downstairs.

All three of my honouree family were waiting for me in the hall. Donna was grinning, Wilf was smiling fondly and Sylvia was staring at me with her usual disapproving look. I smiled and jumped down the last steps, giving a little twirl so that they could see me in all my glory.

"I knew I should have taken you shopping instead of Donna." Sylvia sighed exasperatedly shaking her head. "Your skirt is far too short, those heels are too high, your shirt is too tight and that make-up…" She trailed off, waving her hands in the air and retreating to the kitchen. "You're definitely your mother's daughter."

Wilf, Donna and I exchanged amused glances before the old man hugged me. "You remind me of Donna when she was your age. Her skirts were too short and her tops too tight as well." His granddaughter slapped his arm gently as he grinned.

"Come on, you." She said, picking up the car keys from the bowl by the front door. "I'll give you a lift."

Gratefully I nodded, picked up my new school bag, containing paper, pens and pencils and followed Donna outside. "Laters Nan." I called, knowing that it would annoy Sylvia further. "See ya, Wilf."

"Good luck, sweetheart!" He replied warmly, waiting at the front door until we'd driven out of sight.

We'd almost reached the school before Donna spoke. "You alright?"

"Fine." I lied quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"You can't kid me, kid." She said with a smile. "I know what it's like to start a new school right in the middle."

"Really?"

"Yeah… when I was fifteen I got expelled and had to start again at a new school." She admitted, shooting me a cheeky grin. I returned it broadly. "Mum nearly murdered me!"

She beeped the horn as she drove away, leaving me staring after her car. Then I sighed, painted a determined expression on my face and spun on my heels, heading towards the building. Pupils stood in little groups. All of them turned to watch my progress across the concrete. Narrowing my eyes I shot them my most ferocious glares until they looked away.

The Headmaster, Mr Groves, talked me briefly through the school rules (three of which I had already broken; no make-up, no high heels and correct uniform – apparently Sylvia was right, my skirt WAS too short and my shirt WAS too tight) before leading me to my form room.

"This is form 9H and this," he flourished a hand at a small, mousy-looking woman, "is your form tutor Miss Hellington." The woman nodded nervously, before glancing down at the register on the table in front of her. "Everyone, this is Evie Song. She's starting today, obviously. I hope you'll all do your best to make her feel very welcome."

He retreated from the classroom and I was left standing at the front of the class with thirty sets of unfriendly teenage eyes on me. Gulping slightly I turned to face Miss Hellington, who indicated that I should go and sit down. Spotting an empty chair at the nearest table I went and sat in it, ignoring the stares of the girls already sitting at the table. I couldn't decide if they were hostile or interested.

"So…" The blonde girl next to me started, raising an eyebrow. "Why are you here?"

"What?" I asked, slightly confused. She looked at me like I was stupid.

"Why did you change schools? Get expelled or something?" She elaborated on her previous question.

Understanding what she meant I smiled. "Oh… no. Nothing like that. My Mum had to go away so I had to come and live with Donna… my auntie." I told them, struck by sudden inspiration.

"Away?" The black girl beside the one who'd already spoken asked, leaning forward interestedly. "Like prison?"

"No!" I said quickly, panic rushing through me. "No, she… my Mum's an archaeologist…" The girls looked blank. I sighed. "She digs up ancient artefacts all around the world. Usually I go with her, but this time the university wouldn't let me."

"Sounds boring." The blonde said pulling a face.

"But… what about school? D'you just get to miss school to go wherever?" Her friend asked.

I shook my head. "I was home-schooled. I had to do school wherever I was."

This, apparently, was too much. Both girls shot me a look before turning to each other and giggling. I was totally confused. Before long everyone knew and I heard whispers as I strode down the corridors. People laughed as I passed them, turning away and muttering to their friends.

Gritting my teeth, I held my head high and remembered who I was. My attitude kicked in and I found myself fighting back. A girl, a couple of years older than me laughed spitefully as I passed her on the playground.

"Alright, freak?" She shouted after me.

I stopped, clenching my jaw and narrowing my eyes. "What did you call me?" I demanded, whirling around.

"Freak." She repeated, stepping forward. "Why, what you gonna do about it?"

The Doctor's face appeared in my mind and I could hear his voice telling me that violence is never the best option. I dismissed it, his face being replaced by Mum's. She always told me that actions speak louder than words. Taking her advice I smirked slightly.

Moving forward and closing the gap between us I swung my fist up and smacked her straight in the face. Pain surged through my hand, but I didn't let it show on my face. The girl stumbled backwards, clutching her jaw and staring at me in horror. I glanced around. Everyone around me recoiled sharply.

"Anyone else?" I demanded furiously. No one spoke for a couple of moments. Satisfied I smirked, swung my bag further up my shoulder and stalked away. Well, that was the plan until I found my route blocked by a teacher, who marched me straight to the Headmaster's office.


	32. School 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: School**

Half an hour later I was sitting in the passenger seat of Donna's car, wringing my hands in my lap awkwardly. She sat beside me, looking straight ahead of her. Mr Groves had sighed deeply as the teacher had told him what had happened. Then he'd asked if I had anything to say and I just shrugged. Apparently not knowing what else to do, he phoned Donna to come and collect me.

"Sorry…" I muttered, glancing across at her. Her hands were gripping the steering wheel tightly. I winced a little, wondering how angry she was going to be.

Looking sideways, Donna's face split into a broad grin and she burst out laughing. "Sorry? Evie, that was bloody brilliant!"

"Brilliant?" I asked, lost.

"Yeah! I don't know anyone who's been suspended five hours after starting school." She giggled. "That has to be a new record or something."

I grinned. "I wasn't expelled, though. I'll have to try harder next time."

Donna laughed even harder. Then she shook her head. "Let's get some chips before we break the news to Mum, eh?"

I pulled a face. I'd forgotten that Sylvia would of course find out that I'd been given two weeks suspension. Personally, I thought the punishment was far too lax, but Donna told me around here punching someone in the face was practically a friendly greeting. If I was planning to get myself expelled I'd have to do something far bigger.

x-x

Sylvia had been far from happy when we returned home and she found out what I'd done. She stamped around the house muttering about behaviour and respect and attitude for hours. Wilf had winked at me and grinned.

"You really are like our Donna, aren't you!" He said, hugging me tightly. I laughed, especially when Donna made a slightly offended sound and told him to get off up the hill.

For the next two weeks I was largely confined to the house helping Sylvia with the household chores, except when she dragged me to the supermarket or I went up the hill to the allotment with Wilf. Twice Donna took me to the cinema to keep me out from under her mother's feet. Even this annoyed Sylvia, however, as she was adamant that I was supposed to be being punished.

We kept to the story that Donna was my aunt and no one seemed to question the fact that Sylvia had another daughter who no one had ever heard of, let alone seen. Within a couple of days it felt as though I'd always lived in that neighbourhood. Mrs Bates from number 25 told me I'd grown every single time she saw me and Mrs Prentice from number 17 liked telling me that I looked more and more like my Nan every day. I'm not sure whether Sylvia or I was more put out by this comment. Creepy, old Mr Thomas from number 7 told Wilf that he'd have to keep an eye on me because I was bound to grow up to be a cracker like Donna. Then he'd winked and leered at me before Wilf dragged me quickly away by my arm.

"Don't worry about him, girl. He might be an old crackpot, but he's harmless. Besides, he's dead right." Wilf said, putting an arm around me and shifting the telescope under his other arm to a more comfortable position.

"Thanks, Gramps." I said. I'd sort of picked up it calling him that from Donna and he didn't mind. Sometimes I even forgot that I wasn't actually related to them.

By the time my suspension was over I was starting to think I'd contracted Cabin Fever and was going a little crazy. It was almost a relief when the second Monday morning rolled around and Sylvia shrieked up the stairs that I was going to be late if I didn't hurry up.

"Yeah, yeah…" I muttered, rolling my eyes and continuing to apply a thick layer of eyeliner. When I was satisfied, I grabbed my bag and headed down the stairs. The blonde rolled her eyes at my appearance. Apparently she'd been hoping that the two weeks off would have made me settle down and decide to stick to the rules. But she was wrong.

Donna winked as I jumped down the stairs and ushered me out of the house before her mother could start arguing with me. As she parked up outside the school, the woman shuffled in her seat so that she was looking at me. With her head slightly tilted to one side she smiled.

"Alright?" I nodded and pulled a jacket out of my bag. "Well that's definitely not regulation." Donna laughed, eyeing the denim jacket with amusement.

"Nope." I agreed, grinning back.

"Good luck." She said as I put a hand on the door handle. I opened it and stepped outside, nodding.

"Laters, Auntie D." I said with a grin, slamming the door. A small group of girls, probably a year or two younger than me, shot me a wary look before keeping their heads down and moving away quickly. I looked at Donna, who rolled her eyes and smirked.

Ten minutes later I was back in the form room once more. The girls I'd sat with on my first day waved me over, much to my surprise, making a space for me to sit with them. They were far friendlier this morning, apparently impressed with my actions two weeks before.

"I don't think anyone's ever hit Paige Matthews before!" The blonde, Jade, told me; apparently impressed. She grinned. "She's got a black eye and everything!"

Her friend, Tara, nodded eagerly. "And I've never heard of anyone being suspended at lunchtime on their first day before."

"Yeah, well, I'm planning on getting myself expelled as soon as possible." I confided, ignoring Miss Hellington who was trying to get us to be quiet. "I have absolutely no intention of sticking around here."

My new friends giggled excitedly. When the bell rang to signal the start of lessons, I stalked out of the classroom with them following behind me chattering and giggling. Apparently I was some kind of celebrity now, with my stilettos and mini-skirt and denim jacket and hooped earrings. Everyone seemed to know my name. It was all very odd.

The first lesson was double maths. We were learning to formulate and solve linear equations with whole-number coefficients. Well, I say WE were learning to do it. THEY were learning to do it. I'd studied the topic several years ago with the Doctor and had an understanding that exceeded what the man was trying to teach us here.

Sighing, I sat back and doodled for most of the lesson. About twenty minutes before the class was due to end I worked through the set exercises with ease. Mr Shah, the teacher, wandered over with a smug look on his face.

"So, Miss Song, you didn't seem to be paying attention earlier during my explanation." He said, leaning on the table.

"No, sorry. I was daydreaming." I admitted honestly. He looked a little surprised at my words. Around him, the rest of the class laughed appreciatively. Mr Shah's face darkened for a moment, before he glanced down at my workbook and a vindictive smile appeared on his face.

"So, shall we see how you've got on with your work?" He suggested, returning to the front of the class where he began to read out the answers to the twenty questions in the text book. There were mutters and groans from the rest of the class and most of them stopped marking after the tenth question. When he'd finished, he raised an eyebrow, glaring at me. "So, how did you do, Miss Daydream?"

"Twenty out of twenty." I said with a sigh. His mouth dropped open as the bell rang and there was a rush to pack up and leave.

"Your homework is to complete the rest of the questions in the chapter, from where you stopped today." Mr Shah announced as we rushed past him.

"Did you cheat?" Jade asked, linking her arm through mine as we headed to our next lesson, Physics.

I shook my head and shrugged. "I'm good at maths."

Physics proved equally dull. The teacher, Miss Dylan, took an immediate dislike to me, just because I corrected her on her explanation of infra-red radiation, the way it is emitted and absorbed by everyday objects and how this leads to an appreciation of why an emergency blanket is shiny and why solar panels are black. Her explanation was far too simple and didn't contain any mention of the trans-dimensional element. When it came to our individual work, she actually told me off for correcting the questions and writing why the proposed experiment was flawed. The Doctor would have been furious.

After another four lessons, all equally disastrous, the final bell rang and school ended. I was completely exhausted. I had never expected that education would be this tiring. As I walked out of the gates with Jade and Tara, I spotted Donna's car parked just down the road.

"D'you wanna come into town with us?" Jade asked, pausing on the corner where we were about to part. I obviously looked totally confused as to the purpose of this activity. "You know, to hang out?"

"Oh…" The concept of 'hanging out' was completely new to me. I had never had friends before. The only people I'd ever spent much time with were my family and the Doctor. "I'll have to check with Donna… my auntie."

"We'll come with you." Jade offered. "Tara's mum always says no unless I'm there when she asks."

Donna looked astonished when the three of us approached the car. I opened the door and made my request. She looked a little stunned and nodded wordlessly. That was a surprise in itself.

"Be home by half six." She ordered as I started to close the door. "Or your Nan'll go skitz."

I grinned and winked, before turning and heading off with the girls.

"Your Auntie's really pretty." Tara said smiling. I nodded in agreement. "You can tell you're related."

"Eh?" I asked, wrinkling my nose up in slight confusion and wondering how that was at all possible.

"You've got the same eyes and mouth." She elaborated. I snorted with laughter and shook my head, before changing the subject quickly in case I offended her with my reaction.


	33. School 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: School**

"Right then, madam." Sylvia said over a week later. I'd been living with them for almost a month and there was still no sign of Mum and the Doctor coming back. "Don't you have homework to do?"

I was sprawled out on the sofa watching cartoons. Wilf was reading the paper in the armchair and Donna was texting, sitting beside me with my feet on her lap. At the blonde woman's words I groaned and shook my head.

"I haven't seen you do a single piece of homework since you arrived." She continued, putting her hands on her hips. "Come on, its parents' evening tomorrow. I'm assuming that after that first little hiccup we're going to get a good report?"

Donna, Wilf and I exchanged a brief glance. Sylvia hadn't heard about the detentions and notes home about my attitude and behaviour. Out of the four of us she was the only one who seemed to have forgotten that this was just temporary. She was taking her Grandmother role far too seriously.

"We don't get homework." I lied, thinking about the pile of detention slips I'd been given for not doing the work the teachers had set.

"Don't try that one with me, lady." Sylvia scoffed. "Upstairs, now." Sighing, I rolled off the sofa and picked up Donna's laptop from the table. "Where are you going with that?"

"I thought you wanted me to do my homework?" I asked, innocently. She glared at me as I grinned and headed upstairs to my bedroom.

Putting the laptop down on the bed, I switched it on and went to the mirror, fiddling with my hair before twisting it up into a bun. Then I went and lay on my stomach in front of the screen, waiting for it to boot up. When it did, it showed a picture of the four of us. The weekend before, Wilf had taken us to the West-End for Sylvia's birthday. We'd gone to a performance of '_Much Ado About Nothing_'. I'd had a lot of fun teasing Donna that the actress playing Beatrice looked exactly like her. She just slapped me lightly on the arm and told me to shut up.

Smiling briefly at the photo, I clicked quickly on the internet symbol and waited for the page to load up. Before it did, there was a crackle and static appeared on the screen for a moment, before two familiar faces burst into view, jostling for position in front of the camera.

"Mum!" I screeched excitedly. "Doctor!"

"Hello, sweetie!" Mum exclaimed, equally excited. Beside her, the Doctor waved. Gran and Gramps appeared suddenly behind them, peering over their shoulders to look at the screen. I waved back, grinning. "How are you? How's Donna and her family?"

"They're fine. So am I." I assured her. "How are you?"

"Oh, you know us." Mum said flippantly, not really answering my question. Whenever she responded like that I always immediately felt uneasy. "We just wanted to check you were OK..." There was a loud bang behind her and a shower of sparks and all four of them flinched, but tried to hide it from me.

"What's going on?" I demanded. "Mum?"

"Nothing, baby." She promised with a smile. None of them let their smiles falter, but they seemed to have forgotten that I knew them well enough to know when they were hiding something from me. "Now, we'll be with you in about three days, alright?"

"Three days?" I demanded as another shower of sparks illuminated the console room. "But I've got parents' evening tomorrow."

Despite the obvious jolting of the TARIDS which was threatening to throw them off their feet, Mum, Gran, Gramps and the Doctor all burst out laughing.

"Parents' evening?" Gran asked, pushing the Doctor out of her way so she could see the screen better. He went flying off to the side; her shove added to by the tilting of the time machine. "You've been going to school?"

"Didn't have much choice." I muttered murderously. They all burst out laughing. "It's not funny!"

"It is!" The Doctor said beaming. "Just a little bit."

There was an ear-splitting screech, a large shower of sparks and the TARDIS lurched to one side, sending them all flying sideways. For a moment the scene on the laptop screen was empty. I screamed. Along the hallway I heard a door open and the sound of feet on the landing.

"Oof…" Mum muttered, rubbing her forehead and staggering back into view. "We're going to have to go, sweetie." She said. "Slight atmospheric disturbance."

"Slight?" I exclaimed in disbelief. "What's going on?"

"Evie?" Donna asked, pushing open the door. She saw Mum's face on the screen and sat on the bed beside me. "River… are you alright?"

"Not too bad, how are you?"

"Can't complain." Donna shrugged.

"Good…" Mum muttered, slightly distracted by something out of shot. "Now, we'll see you in three days, OK? Evie, be good."

And the picture vanished. Donna smiled at me, slightly sadly.

"There you go, then. Three days and you'll be off." She said. I nodded slowly. "So, thought any more about project expelled?"

Grinning I shut the laptop and turned to face her. "Oh yes. I've got a plan and I'm almost certain it'll work."

"Almost certain?" Donna asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Well… there is a slight chance of it going slightly wrong and causing massive structural damage to the school building." I admitted with a shrug. "But it's only a tiny chance."

Deciding that she obviously didn't want to know, she gave me a quick one-armed hug and a kiss on the side of my head before standing up. Suddenly, as she smoothed down her clothing, I realised that she was all dressed up. Smirking I tilted my head slightly.

"You look nice, where are you going?"

"I've got a date." She announced, grinning broadly. I beamed at her.

"Who with?" I demanded, grabbing her hand and refusing to let go. "Anyone I know?"

"Maybe." She said vaguely, but the look in her eyes told me that it was definitely someone I knew. Narrowing my eyes as she wriggled out of my grasp and headed for the door as the doorbell rang, I tried to think who she could possibly be going on a date with that I knew.

Rushing to the window, I watched her heading down the drive hand in hand with a tall, dark-haired man. She turned to glance up at me, laughing and her date wrapped an arm around her shoulders before pressing a kiss to her cheek. He didn't turn and I couldn't tell who it was from the back of his head.

"Are you doing your homework?" Sylvia shouted from the end of the corridor, making me jump and leap back onto the bed quickly.

x-x

Parents' evening had been disastrous. Sylvia had refused to stay at home and let Wilf and Donna go alone, so the four of us had trooped into the school. With every teacher they met her face grew more and more thunderous as a list of my failings was reeled off; covering both my attitude and behaviour. Donna was forced to cover her mouth with her hand at one point, to stop her grin being visible as her mother appeared to be about to faint.

"Mrs Noble," Miss Hellington said weakly, "your granddaughter is very spirited. She umm… is very focused and enthusiastic and… err…"

"She's a pain in the backside." Sylvia finished for her. Wilf snorted with laughter, a sound that he quickly turned into a cough as his daughter glared at him. I was slightly offended at her words.

"Oi!" I muttered, earning myself a death stare as well.

"Yes, well…" The woman muttered, not looking as though she disagreed with Sylvia's words. "Despite her behaviour, Evie is clearly an incredibly intelligent girl. She's streets ahead of her peers in all her subjects."

"Except the creative stuff…" I muttered. I couldn't draw or sing to save my life. It was a good think that I hadn't needed to. Yet.

"If she were to channel her efforts into her school work she could easily sit her exams and go to university early." Miss Hellington continued, ignoring my interruption.

I felt all their eyes on me. Donna's amused, Sylvia's bursting with pride and Wilf looking as though he'd never doubted it for a moment. I shrugged.

"Don't tell my mother that." I ordered. "She'll never get off my back about it."

All the way home, Sylvia had gone on and on about the fact that I needed to settle down and apply myself so that I could do as Miss Hellington had suggested and go to university in a couple of years. I sighed, trying to tune her out and stared pointedly at Donna instead. Beside me, she just smiled and refused to meet my eyes. She had refused point-blank to answer any of my questions about her date the evening before.

"D-day tomorrow then." She said in a low voice as we climbed out of the car. "The day you get yourself expelled."

I nodded and smirked. "I cannot wait!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I couldn't resist the 'Much Ado About Nothing' part. I think it mainly stems from my bitterness that I couldn't go and see it and I REALLY wanted to!**_

_**I would just like to say HI and THANK YOU to all the people who've favourite and subscribed in the last couple of days. ALSO the same to everyone who's reading and leaving comments. **_

_**A super special mention to **__Shifuni__**, **__1945__**, **__Snowy702__**, **__The Sheep of Destiny__** and **__TheOnyxRose__** who review pretty much every chapter. Your comments make my days and I love you guys! :D**_


	34. School 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: School**

The next morning I walked into school confidently. I returned the waves and greetings of a couple of groups of students who were milling around and went straight to the form room where Jade and Tara were waiting for me.

"Did you get it?" I asked, dropping my bag onto the table and sitting beside it. Jade nodded and pulled a small bottle out of her bag, handing it to me with a questioning glance.

"Why did you need washing up liquid?" She asked.

I grinned. "It's amphiphilic…" Noticing their totally blank faces I sighed and elaborated. "It's a chemical compound possessing both hydrophilic and lipophilic properties." They still looked totally blank, so I shrugged. "Don't worry about it."

"So… what's the plan?" Tara asked, leaning forwards and talking in a quiet voice so Miss Hellington, who had just walked into the room and started taking the register, couldn't hear.

"I'm gonna blow up the chemistry lab." I told them grinning. Their eyes widened in shock.

"Isn't that gonna be dangerous?" Jade demanded, looking a little scared at the prospect.

"A bit." I agreed with a grin. "But where's the fun without a little bit of danger?"

The blonde girl rolled her eyes. "Sometimes you sound like a right freak, Evie."

I just shrugged, knowing that she didn't really mean it. Then I stuffed the washing up liquid into my bag and slid off the table, heading to my first lesson. I quite enjoyed winding Mr Shah up as he tried to explain Pythagoras theorem and what a hypotenuse was. The rest of the day seemed to pass incredibly slowly but finally I found myself walking towards the chemistry lab for my last lesson that Friday afternoon.

"Are you gonna do it straight away?" Jade asked in a loud whisper. Taking my seat I shook my head sharply and fixed my eyes on Mr Murphy, who was drawing a diagram on the board. I slipped from my seat, eyes still fixed on the teacher, rummaging around in one of the cupboards. Disappointed that I couldn't find what I was looking for I sat back down just before he turned around.

"Now, today we're going to be concentrating on how metals react with oxygen to form oxides." He announced. The entire class groaned and, as one, they slumped into a half-sleeping state. I was the only one who was alert.

As he handed round the box of metal filings, I knocked them with my elbow, sending the tiny pieces of metal flying across the floor. Knowing how obsessive he was about his experiments I was sure Mr Murphy would refuse to use the now spoilt materials. Sure enough, he glared at me, warned us not to touch anything and disappeared out of the lab.

I grinned, leapt across the room and started moving the large jars of acid in the cabinet behind his desk. Ignoring the questions of my classmates, I pulled out three large bottles, one clear, one pale blue and the third almost black. Quickly I measured the liquids by eye and poured them all into a large beaker.

"Jade, washing up liquid!" I called, easily catching the container she threw me and squeezing the green liquid into the concoction. It bubbled slightly as the four ingredients mixed together. There was still one more thing I needed and I glanced around quickly. "Has anyone got any coke?"

A boy at the back of the class hurried to hand me a bottle and I poured a little of the liquid in, standing back slightly as it hissed. There was only time to ensure that when Mr Murphy sat down at his desk a small trip wire would be set off, causing a tiny fragment of magnesium to drop into the concoction and set off the explosion.

I was back in my seat before Mr Murphy re-entered the room. He glared at me, but I just smiled innocently back. Suspicious, he continued handing out the small pieces of metal that we were going to be using for the experiments. Once that was done he moved back towards his desk and I held my breath as he hovered over his chair.

Then he moved back to the board, pointing out the key things we were looking for. My disappointment must have shown on my face because he glared at me yet again. Quietly, more subdued than usual, we got on with our work. Something about this must have made Mr Murphy uneasy, because he prowled around between the desks, much to my frustration.

"Why won't he just sit down?" I muttered to Jade, watching the teacher through my hair as I kept my head bent over the experiment.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? I mean, we're not going to die or anything, are we?" She asked nervously, looking pleadingly into my face.

I grinned. "Nah, I toned it down, don't worry. I'll just take out the desk."

"Honestly?"

"I promise."

She still didn't look totally convinced and, as the teacher moved back towards his desk once more. I held my breath. He sat down. Without warning there was a massive explosion. Mr Murphy jumped back out of harm's way as a cloud of smoke engulfed the classroom. Everyone immediately started coughing and panicking and fighting to get out of the lab. Even the fire alarms were sounded. Laughing, I grabbed my bag and headed outside with everyone else.

x-x

The whole school was lined up on the playground as Mr Groves spoke through the megaphone, assuring everyone that the explosion had been dealt with and everything was alright. As one, the students groaned. I was sure that some of the staff had joined in as well.

He dismissed everyone back to their classes. "Except 9H." He shouted through his loudspeaker device. "9H remain where you are."

"You said it would only take out the desk!" Jade hissed accusingly as he approached us, signalling for us to fan out into a straight line in front of him.

"OK, well maybe I underestimated it a little bit." I admitted, shrugging. "But no one was hurt, were they?"

"Quiet, Miss Song." The Headmaster snapped, standing with his feet shoulder-width apart and his hands behind his back. "Now, one of you is responsible for this event." He pointed out, pacing along the line and staring intently at each of the teenage faces in front of him. "I highly suggest that whoever is responsible steps forward now before you all suffer."

Without hesitation I stepped forwards, pushing my hands into my pockets and shrugging. "Sorry… I just wanted to know what would happen if I combined those chemicals."

Everyone stared at me. Some of them looked slightly impressed, some angry, but others just downright confused. Mr Groves grabbed my shoulder and marched me towards his office. I shot Jade and Tara a grin and a wink as I was dragged away.

"Sit there…" he ordered, pointing to a chair in the reception area while he stepped into the office, no doubt to phone Donna. I sat there, not feeling at all ashamed or abashed, while the receptionist glared at me through the sliding glass window into her office. After about ten minutes I heard the outer door open and Donna appeared in the reception area. While it was just us, she winked, but then fixed an exasperated expression on her face.

"Mr Grove…" She muttered, stepping forward as he walked through the door. "I am so, SO sorry."

"That's as may be, Ms Noble." He said firmly. "But with everything considered, Evie has gone too far this time. Her behaviour since joining this school has shown very little desire to adhere to the school rules and she has never been willing to attempt to fit in. I'm afraid that we've done everything we can but I will have to expel her this time."

"Oh…" Donna murmured, pretending to be shocked. Behind her, I bowed my head, grinning. "Well… right." She reached down and grabbed my arm, pulling me to my feet and throwing more apologies to the Headmaster as we escaped out of the doors.

Once we were across the playground and through the gates, I burst out laughing, as did Donna, who threw an arm around my shoulders. She aimed the remote at the car, unlocking it.

"I bloody love you!" She giggled, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. "Blowing up the chemistry lab? Brilliant!"

"A stroke of genius if I say so myself!" I agreed, winking at her. Then my face fell a little. "Your mum is going to murder me!"

"Nah… she'll be alright if we stop off and by her some chocolates on the way home." Donna assured me with a grin. "She's a sucker for chocolates. Besides, you're leaving tomorrow… what's she gonna do?"

We both went quiet at these words, realising that it was true. After a month I was finally leaving. I wasn't entirely sure how I felt about that. As much as I'd missed Mum and the Doctor and my Grandparents I was definitely going to miss living with my pretend family as well. For the first time ever I'd had something completely normal.

Sylvia was angry when we arrived back at the house, baring chocolates. After about an hour she calmed down and even offered her sweets around. Wilf headed out to get fish and chips so that we could celebrate my last night with them. Even Sylvia seemed more subdued than I had expected. Until she'd drunk several glasses of wine, that was. At that point she started gushing about how I was the granddaughter she'd never had and Donna and I helped her upstairs to bed.

"Blimey, spacegirl." Donna breathed as we closed the door on her mother's snoring and headed downstairs. "You've definitely grown on her!"

"I do my best." I laughed as we went into the living room. Wilf was snoring gently in his armchair and, grinning at each other, Donna and I headed into the kitchen.

"So, you looking forward to going home?" She asked casually, filling a glass with water from the tap and keeping her back to me. I smiled weakly, realising that she didn't want me to see her face.

"I guess…" I said slowly with a shrug.

"You gonna miss us?" She asked, still not turning around. I, Evie Song, have to admit that her tone nearly made me cry.

Standing up I threw my arms around her. "Are you kidding me? I'm gonna miss you more than you know, Earthgirl."

Donna hugged me back tightly, clinging on for dear life. After a couple of minutes it dawned on me that this was a result of Donna's insecurities and I hugged her even more tightly. The truth was; I didn't really want to leave.

After a while we broke apart and I made Donna a cup of tea, setting it in front of her on the table. I slipped into the chair opposite her, sipping my own drink and watching her carefully. I'd never really looked at her closely before. Not like this.

"Don't you wish you could travel with him again?" I asked suddenly. Donna looked up and shook her head.

"No… he… its… this Doctor isn't…" She sighed, furrowing her forehead. "I don't know how to explain it, exactly. He's different, but the same. My Doctor… the one I travelled with… he was a lot more serious, emotional. He needed me more. But now he's got your Mum and Amy and Rory. No… a life on the TARDIS isn't for me anymore."

"But… you saved the entire universe!" I exclaimed. "Surely you want to see a bit more of it?"

Donna laughed. "No. Well, yes. But I can't."

"But why?" I demanded, pouting.

"If I step foot in that wonderful, strange, completely mad blue box again then I'll never want to leave. And I couldn't do that to Mum and Gramps, not again." Suddenly I understood and it made me sad. Donna was sacrificing herself for her family. She knew they wouldn't be happy if she went, so she stayed. I was on the verge of tears again. Noticing, Donna reached out and squeezed my hand. "But hey, it's not that bad. I've got another date tomorrow."

"Who is he?" I pestered, instantly cheering up at the smile that had lit up Donna's face.

"I'm not telling you!" She laughed. "I'm sure you'll find out one day, but not just yet."

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Come on, Evie!" Donna called up the stairs. "They're here."<strong>_

_**The teenager finished the word she was writing and closed her diary hastily, shoving it into her bag and leaping off the bed. She threw a final glance at the envelope propped up on the pillow with 'Donna' written on the front. There were only two words written on the piece of paper that was folded up inside, 'Miss you.'**_


	35. The Plan That Backfired

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Plan That Backfired**

Age: 21

Location: The TARDIS/Dr'wn, Hespil Cascade

Date: 3986

* * *

><p>"Dad…" I called, nodding encouragingly at Jenny and getting her to join in the slightly whining chorus. "Dad?"<p>

The Doctor sighed and glanced up at us from his position on the floor where he'd being lying flat on his back staring puzzled at the underside of the TARDIS console. His expression now changed to one that indicated he was wary of what we were intending.

"Can we go somewhere?" I asked, leaning against the barrier around the console platform while Jenny sat on the seat beside me, crossing her legs. "We're bored… we want a holiday."

"Please, Dad?" My sister joined in, batting her eyelashes at him. With her dainty features and classic good looks she could always wrap him round her little finger by playing the innocent. I generally badgered him until I got what I wanted. Mum had often complained about the power we wielded over the Doctor when we got our own way.

When we ganged up on him like this, she usually stepped in and defended him, meaning he didn't have to make any decisions. Mum didn't mind playing the bad guy and Dad was grateful for that because he was never able to say no. Jenny and I had taken advantage of the fact that she was holed up in the library going through old texts on the possible locations of several artefacts she had her eye on. If she didn't know what was happening, she couldn't stop us.

"I don't think…" Dad started, sitting up and banging his head on the console. Jenny moved to kneel beside him quickly, examining the spot before pressing a kiss to his head. He winced and stood up with some help, although he didn't need it. "I don't think your Mother wants to be disturbed at the moment. Maybe when she's finished with her research…"

"Alright." I agreed with a shrug. I saw his eyes widen in surprise that I'd given up so easily. Fighting back a smirk, I kept my face as innocent as possible. "That's fine… it'll give Jenny and I a chance to have a bit of a rest after our date."

"Your… your WHAT?" Dad demanded, aghast at the word that had fallen easily from my mouth. Jenny covered her mouth quickly to suppress her giggles and I shot her a warning look.

"Our date." I repeated calmly. "I'd arranged to go out with this guy I met and suggested that he brought a friend and I brought my sister. It's a double date."

Dad looked as though his head was about to explode. He'd gone a funny colour and was spluttering slightly. I smiled innocently and flicked my gaze to Jenny who was standing behind him doubled over with silent giggles. I was glad she couldn't see his expression because she wouldn't have been able to hold them in.

"Who? Where?" He stuttered after a couple of minutes.

"I'm not sure exactly who he is… Human or humanoid anyway… and SO hot!" I told him with a wink.

He buried his face in his hands and groaned. "I need to stop you spending time with Jack…" He muttered through his fingers.

"Well, are we done because we need to go and get ready." I said calmly, reaching past him to drag the now shaking Jenny out of the console room. Sneaking a glance over my shoulder I saw that he'd collapsed onto the seat in shock. Giggling, Jenny grabbed my hand and we ran through the corridors to our bedrooms, which the TARDIS had thoughtfully moved next to each other.

We separated, walking into our own rooms. Moments later a door in my bedroom wall opened and Jenny appeared, dropping onto my bed and laughing loudly. I collapsed next to her, unable to breath I was laughing so hard.

"D'you think it'll work?" Jenny gasped, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Are you kidding? Did you see his face?" I asked. She shook her head, snorting with laughter again. "He looked like he was about to have some kind of attack!"

"So, stage two?"

I nodded. "Stage two."

We leapt to our feet and starting going through our wardrobes trying to find outfits that would terrify our father. There was a great deal of laughter as we examined all the clothes we could find. There was also a lot of trying on ridiculous outfits. I have no idea where most of the clothes had come from – apparently the TARDIS was trying to add to our amusement by providing some strange clothes.

I collapsed into giggles on the bed as Jenny appeared in a leopard print halter neck, shiny PVC leggings and an orange feather boa. The bright red cowboy boots and devil horns on her head completed the outfit and I could hardly breathe as she cat walked around my room.

She fell down next to me and neither of us could stop laughing for a long time. By the time we gained control again, my stomach was hurting and I kept coughing. Jenny's makeup was smeared all over her cheeks and I was in no doubt that mine was identical.

"Come on…" She urged, pushing a large floppy hat onto my head. "We've got to get ready before he recovers enough to come and find us."

I nodded, getting to my feet and riffling through my wardrobe purposefully. Pulling out several items I dressed quickly, moving to the mirror to apply makeup and deal with my hair that had turned into a bird's nest while we'd been rolling around in hysterics.

Jenny appeared in a tight, bright red dress and towering stilettos. Her blonde hair, which she'd had cut into a bob while she'd been away, had been pinned back from her face. I wrinkled up my nose as she approached. Her face fell a little.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I don't think I like having a sister… I'm getting seriously overshadowed here!"

She laughed and shook her head, taking the hair pin from my hand and securing my last escaping curl into place. "You look beautiful."

I stood up and smoothed my skirt down. It was a plain black one that clung to me in all the right places. I'd paired it with a tight green satiny blouse with the top few buttons left strategically open. On my feet were emerald stilettos, just as impractical as Jenny's.

"Think we'll do?" I asked, winking at her.

"I think he'll freak." She assured me with a grin. I laughed and took a breath. "Ready?"

Nodding, I followed her from the room. Walking through the TARDIS proved difficult as our heels kept sinking through the holes in the grating that served as floor. To make our journey easier, the TARDIS had moved things around so it took us half as long to reach the Console Room, which was empty when we arrived.

"What do we do?" Jenny asked, glancing at me.

Shrugging I looked around. "He's probably gone for back up. We should just wait for them to come back."

Sure enough, a couple of moments later the sound of Mum and Dad arguing reached our ears. I shot Jenny a look and raised my eyebrows for a split second, working hard to get my face under control before they appeared.

"Look busy." She hissed, moving to the console and pulling the scanner towards her. I did as she said, raising the starter leaver and sending the TARDIS into the Vortex. There was a cry of alarm from the corridor and the footsteps sped up.

As Dad crashed through the doorway I thought he was going to faint. I watched out of the corner of my eye as his eyes travelled over the pair of us, taking in our outfits and a look of horror appeared on his face. A serious of indistinguishable sounds emerged from his mouth and he grabbed hold of Mum, jabbing his finger towards us.

I turned my back fully on them, pretending I hadn't noticed they were there and bit my lips together stopping the giggles that were threatening to escape. Jenny looked as though she was struggling just as much beside me. There was no way I could look at her, because that would have sent me into hysterics.

"Where are we heading then, girls?" Mum asked casually, pushing past Dad and jumping down the steps to the console platform. We both jumped slightly, as though we hadn't been aware of their presence.

"Oh… hi. We're going on our date. There's a bar on Dr'wn that the guys have heard is a wild night out, so that's where we're heading." I announced, barely glancing up. Behind us Dad gave a little whimper. "Problem?"

"No, no." Mum said, equally casually, smiling serenely. I narrowed my eyes slightly, knowing exactly what she was doing. Apparently she was aware that we were bluffing. Not that this knowledge surprised me in the slightest. I had to have got my deviousness from somewhere, after all. "You girls have fun. You look gorgeous, by the way, both of you."

Calmly she moved away, checking the scanner and realigning some of the controls. Jenny glanced at me in slight confusion. Sending her a smile and a small shake of my head, I moved towards the TARDIS doors as the familiar sound indicated that we'd landed.

"See you later then." I called, grabbing Jenny's hand and pulling her with me. "Don't wait up. We'll be back late… or tomorrow. Maybe."

The Doctor let out another squeak of horror and even Mum's face contorted slightly at my words. My sister was sending me questioning looks as I opened the doors and stepped out onto the planet, looking around interestedly.

I'd heard about the nightlife on the planet Dr'wn in the Hespil Cascade on one of my solo trips when I was a little younger. It was exactly as I'd pictured it; vibrant, buzzing with life of all different species and just a little tacky. Well, quite a lot tacky if I was honest, but no one seemed to care.

"Is this such a good idea?" Jenny hissed as we started down the street. Flashing lights in the windows and the shouts of the doorman were obviously trying to draw us into one club or bar or another, but if we were going to succeed we couldn't vanish inside one of them. Mum and the Doctor would never find us then.

"It's fine. Give it a couple of minutes and they'll be after us." I assured her.

Two men were standing outside a bar, taking long gulps from the large glasses in their hands. From the pale blue colour they were evidently drinking distilled Uuga Juice – incredibly alcoholic when done in the right circumstances. From the looks of them this wasn't their first glass.

Sidling up to them I smiled. "Hi."

"Alright…" One of the men slurred, his eyes raking over me as he leered. "On yer own, darlin'?"

"Yep." I said, popping the 'p'. "I'm Evie, this is my sister, Jenny. Fancy getting us a drink?"

The man nodded, turning slightly unsteadily and waving over a waiter with a large cylindrical vessel on a tray. After muttering something to the waiter, the man handed Jenny and I a glass each, containing a pale pink liquid. One sniff told me that it was Pixilqin Vodka. I'd heard that it was so potent that after one glass and we'd be seeing double; anymore and we'd have problems.

"So… what are your names?" I asked, making small talk as I took a sip from the glass. Jenny watched me warily, before following suit. Her nose wrinkled in disgust at the oddly sweet taste, but she took another sip straight away so she obviously liked it.

I barely listened to their responses, training my ears on the sound of shouting and running that was coming along the street towards us. Jenny turned, hearing it as well. Without warning, a pair of hands grabbed the glasses from our hands and another pair closed on each of our wrists.

"Pixilquin Vodka!" Dad exclaimed, agitatedly. "No, no, no!"

"Dad, I'm a big girl." I told him, raising an eyebrow. "And so is Jenny."

"You don't understand! It has a much bigger effect on Time Lords… something to do with the DNA… it'll inhibit your enzymes and you'll lose control much faster than normal." He said. I stared at him, wondering whether this was just an excuse to get us to leave. Beside me, Jenny staggered a little, giggling. Mum groaned, wrapping an arm around her waist.

"Jenny's drunk more than Evie, it's already kicking in." She said. As she began supporting Jenny along the road in the direction of the TARDIS, Dad followed, pulling me by my arm.

"Sorry, boys!" I called over my shoulder and winking. Dad growled. "Does this mean we get to go on holiday now?"

"Fine… when you've slept off the vodka we'll stop somewhere. What about the Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko?" He suggested, shooting me a sideways look. I grinned. "Your mother's discovered something very interesting might be buried at the base of the reef."

I groaned realising that rather than a holiday, we were going there to work. "Is this our punishment?"

He nodded and smirked. "I was going to take you to the beach before you pulled this little stunt." I groaned again.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Are you girls ready?" River shouted from the Console Room. A little way along the corridor Evie and Jenny winced in unison, their dark glasses and slightly stooped stances indicating that they were still recovering from the night before. The Doctor had been right; a couple of sips of the Pixilquin Vodka had been enough to send both girls completely out of it.<strong>_

_**As they staggered towards their parents, the girls knew that neither River nor the Doctor were going to let them forget this one for a very long time.**_


	36. Allergies

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Allergies**

Age: 13

Location: The TARDIS

Date: –

* * *

><p>I found a puppy while I was staying with Gran and Gramps at their house. I knew that there was no way Mum and the Doctor would let me keep him, but I'd done so well at hiding him in Gran and Gramps' house that I figured I'd be able to hide him on the TARDIS just as easily.<p>

"Brian…" I hissed as the small bundle of fluff that was my new puppy stopped on the threshold to the TARDIS. I'd gone ahead of the others to bring my things and if I didn't hurry up they'd catch me.

Giving up on tugging the make-shift lead I'd made him, I scooped Brian – a brilliant name for a puppy in my opinion – up into my arms and hurried through the corridors to my bedroom. I dumped him unceremoniously on the floor and went into my bathroom, putting down his food and waters bowls and filling them. I didn't really understand how Gran and Gramps hadn't noticed… it's not as though their house was a TARDIS.

"Stay here… good boy." I said, making a fuss of him before closing my bedroom door and heading back to the house.

x-x

"Evie?" Mum said, looking at me oddly. "What's that?"

I glanced down at the dog toy in my hand and shrugged. "You know Gramps…"

Mum and the Doctor exchanged a totally bemused look at my comment, while I made my excuses and disappeared from the console room. Brian leapt at me excitedly as soon as I opened my bedroom door, yapping loudly as I leant down to tickle him. I giggled, sitting on the floor and squirming as he licked my ear.

The bedroom door opened and I hastily shoved Brian underneath my bed as Mum appeared in the doorway.

"What was that noise?" She asked looking at me suspiciously. I blinked at her innocently.

"What noise?"

"The yelping noise? And why are you on the floor? Are you OK?"

I grinned and nodded. "I'm fine. I'm just… having a sit down."

Mum shook her head and retreated, closing the door firmly towards me. I exhaled deeply in relief and pulled the slightly bewildered looking puppy out from under the bed. Brian looked at me with his head on one side and I grinned, ruffling the scruffy fur on his head.

"Good boy!" I told him affectionately. For the next half hour I played with Brian in my bedroom. The TARDIS had kindly extended the length so that we were able to have an effective and rather energetic game, which was somewhere between fetch and tag.

Almost without warning I heard a loud sneeze in the corridor outside and just managed to bundle Brian into the bathroom and close the door, leaning nonchalantly against it as my bedroom door opened and the Doctor looked in. His facial expression indicated that he was slightly confused.

"Is there…" He started, looking around. Then he stopped and sneezed again, violently. "Evie… do you have a dog in here?"

"No." I said innocently, smiling at him. He raised an eyebrow, unconvinced and sneezed again.

"Really? Because I'm incredibly allergic to dogs…"

Sighing I pulled a face. "Fine… but it's only a little one." I admitted, opening the bathroom door and letting the puppy into my bedroom.

The Doctor recoiled as Brian jumped at him, looking absolutely terrified.

"Noo!" He moaned, moving quickly behind me and trying to shake the puppy off his foot. I bent down to scoop him up, cradling Brian like a baby and tickling his tummy. The Doctor moved away, sneezing again and muttering something about Mum dealing with me and 'it'.

x-x

I was sulking at the kitchen table about half an hour later. Mum was plating up the dinner – nothing fancy because neither she nor the Doctor were particularly good cooks. She was marginally better than the Doctor and I generally refused to eat anything he cooked, on principal.

"Can't I just keep him away from the Doctor?" I moaned, eyeing the plate she deposited in front of me suspiciously. It appeared to be some kind of pasta dish with alien vegetables.

"No, sweetie." Mum sighed, ladling the Doctor's dinner onto his plate with a slopping sound. I raised an eyebrow. "You know what he's like… we'll never hear the end of it if you keep the dog."

"But Mum –"

"Evie, no." She snapped. "I said no and I meant it."

"Well can I leave him with Gran and Gramps?" I asked, shovelling my dinner into my mouth. I pulled a face as I bit into some kind of sour vegetable but forced it down without complaint. I'd long since learnt to pick my battles.

"You can't just dump a dog on them… what if they don't want him?"

"Can I at least ask?"

Mum growled slightly as she sat down. Before answering me, she hollered in the direction of the Console Room for the Doctor. He appeared in seconds, beaming and immediately starting to eat with relish. I watched him with a sort of disgusted fascination as he polished it off in record time.

"Well?" I pressed, turning my gaze onto Mum. "Can I ask?"

"Fine… but don't get your hopes up. I don't think Mum's a big fan of dogs." She warned me. I just grinned, knowing that I'd almost definitely be able to persuade my Grandparents that they would want to keep Brian.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie gave the puppy a cuddle, before putting him down on the floor and giving her Grandfather a tight hug. <strong>_

"_**Thanks, Gramps!" She gushed happily.**_

"_**Maybe this will give you more of an excuse to come and visit us." He said with a chuckle. The teenager grinned and headed towards the TARDIS where River and the Doctor were standing in the doorway waiting for her. With a final wave they closed the doors and moved to the controls.**_

"_**At least it wasn't a horse, I suppose." River said with a grin. **_

_**The Doctor looked thoughtful. "I had a horse once… Arthur he was called."**_

_**After checking that her daughter hadn't heard, River smacked the Doctor on his arm. "Don't go telling her that, or she'll want one as well!"**_

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><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written in response to Snowy702's prompt wanting more, '**__little girl Evie__**'**__**. Hope you like it lovely! :D**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;) **_


	37. Invisible Cows

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Invisible Cows**

Age: 20

Location: Cotter Palluni's World

Date: 1842

* * *

><p><em><strong>River waved them goodbye with a cheerful smile and the TARDIS doors closed with a click of her fingers. <strong>_

_**Evie chewed the inside of her cheek, slightly nervously, leaning against the barrier around the console and eyeing the Doctor almost with suspicion. Since learning that he was her father just weeks earlier things between them had become quite uncomfortable. The Doctor, who was jumpy and awkward at the best of times, seemed almost terrified of being left alone with her.**_

_**After they'd taken Rory and Amy for a holiday to get over the shock of everything that they'd learnt at Demon's Run, River had insisted that she NEEDED to go to The **__**Maldovarium; alone and straight away. The Doctor had complained and tried to get her to change her mind about the 'alone' part, but to no avail. The woman was determined to leave them solely in each other's company.**_

* * *

><p>"So…" The Doctor muttered, barely tearing his gaze away from the console to glance at me, before his eyes were fixed on the buttons and levers once more. "What should we do? There's a big wide universe out there, just waiting to be discovered. There are –"<p>

I cut him off, smiling slightly. "I'm not some new companion you've just picked up, you know. I practically grew up in the old girl… I know the whole speech."

"Yes… quite… well…" He stuttered, rubbing the back of his head, before starting to fiddle with his bowtie. "Where should we visit then?"

"Take me somewhere new. Somewhere we've never been. Somewhere… incredible." I said at once, moving to stand beside him at the controls. He raised an eyebrow at me, before smiling and whirling away around the console.

"Somewhere… incredible?" He repeated, forgetting all his awkwardness and losing himself in his enthusiasm. "There are so many incredible things and places and people that I can show you… the blue stones of Shaa'maa; the Raging Stars of Cladoon; the invisible cows of Planton –"

"Invisible cows?" I asked, laughing. His face appeared around the pillar of the console and he grinned, not expanding on his words.

"But what I'm going to show you first is The Lightening Sky of Cotter Palluni's World."

"The what?"

"The Lightening Sky of Cotter Palluni's World…" He said excitedly. "Great expanses of sky filled with – no! I'm not going to tell you! I'll let you see for yourself!"

He grabbed hold of my upper arms excitedly, squeezing them with his hands tightly and grinning into my face. I laughed happily, glad that the awkwardness between us was gone – for now at least. He pulled me by my hand towards the TARDIS doors and flung them open.

We were floating in mid-air with the night sky all around us, illuminated by flashes of the most brilliant, awe-inspiring, amazingly unusual lightening I'd ever seen. It should have been wrong; so, so wrong. But it wasn't. It was beautiful and perfect and it took my breath away. I sat down in the doorway of the police box, letting my legs dangle out into space.

Flashes of blue and purple and pink crossed the sky, fading to be replaced with more flashes of orange and red and green. Turquoise and white and yellow and violet and even grey criss-crossed, merging and jostling for position against the pitch black backdrop.

The Doctor slid to sit beside me, his face displaying an expression of pure joy. Watching the lightening show had completely captured his attention and I found that I could only tear my eyes away for a second, before it recaptured my attention once more. I sighed contentedly.

"Look!" He said suddenly, pointing in front of us. "There… can you see the shape?"

For a second I screwed up my face, wondering what he was talking about. Then I saw what he meant. "YES! Look… it's a bear."

"And there… an Ood… and over there… the towers of Derillium." He continued. For some reason the last image seemed to dampen his good mood for a moment or two. He stared ahead of him, his eyes displaying a mixture of emotions.

"Are you alright…?" I asked. The word 'Dad' had rested on my tongue briefly, before I swallowed it back, unsure how he would react.

He jumped slightly, as though he'd been completely lost in his own thoughts. Briefly he glanced at me and smiled, before returning his attention to the flashes of light all around us. After a couple of minutes, he reached out and took hold of my hand, squeezing it tightly between his own. After a couple of minutes more, I leant against him, resting my head on his shoulder. He laid his own on top, twisting slightly to place a kiss on my hair. I smiled, broadly, closing my eyes for a split second, before staring at the lightening show.

"Thank you for showing me this, Dad." I said quietly, holding my breath and wondering whether that would be a step too far.

There was a long pause and I was about to move away when the Doctor spoke. "It's my pleasure, daughter."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written in response to Lealu's prompt, '**__something with Just Evie and the Doctor__**' **__**to show their relationship. I REALLY hope you like this, sweetie and that it isn't completely not what you meant!**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;) **_


	38. The Day We Joined The Circus

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Day We Joined the Circus**

Age: 19

Location: England, Earth

Date: July 19th 1791

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie and Amy were sitting on the floor of the console room watching a hologram image of a film on the opposite wall. The Doctor and Rory were doing their best to pretend they weren't interested in Pride and Prejudice – the fifth film adaptation of the novel – although both kept getting distracted from their task of replacing the filters on the console. <strong>_

"_**Wouldn't it be amazing to hear her doing a reading of one of her novels?" Amy said with a sigh as the credits rolled, turning to Evie with a dreamy expression on her face. "I mean… she's just so…"**_

"_**I know." The teenager agreed, not needing to hear the end of her friend's sentence. "Doctor?"**_

_**Feigning surprise that he was being addressed, the Time Lord turned to face them. Both females were well aware that the men had been watching the film as well, although they tactfully said nothing.**_

"_**Can we go and listen to a reading?" Evie continued, blinking at him and smiling innocently. He sighed, as though it would be a great hardship.**_

"_**I suppose so, we've got nothing better to do apart from changing the filters." He agreed.**_

* * *

><p>"Doctor?" I called, lifting a newspaper off a stand as we walked along the street. "We're too early."<p>

He furrowed his eyebrows and moved quickly to my side, taking the paper out of my hand and examining it. The date on the top read July 19th 1791.

"Jane Austen didn't publish her first novel until 1811… we're way too soon."

Amy groaned and shook her head, muttering about how the Doctor needed to sort out his life and stop getting them to the wrong times and places. I smirked slightly at her words, but was incredibly disappointed at the same time. I'd been looking forward to meeting the author. After finding myself inside one of her novels with the Tenth Doctor and a couple of Slitheen not that long ago, meeting her would have been fantastic.

"Since we're here we might as well have a look around though, right?" The Doctor suggested, glancing along the street. "I mean… the TARDIS has a habit of taking us to places where we need to be. Perhaps there's something interesting going on?"

"You really think that there's an alien running around in eighteenth century Hampshire?" Rory asked incredulously.

"My dear Rory the Roman…" The Doctor started, apparently about to give him a lecture on the fact that 'aliens' don't always make sense.

"Hang on…" Amy said, stopping him abruptly. She was still clutching the newspaper, having had her attention caught by one of the stories. "Look at this… it's a little strange, don't you think?"

"Early last Tuesday morning the body of a man was found on the edge of the river bank, apparently having been partially eaten by some kind of wild animal." The Doctor paraphrased, glancing over the article. "Witnesses, however, say that several large shapes were seen crawling away. They looked like maggots; massive, people eating maggots."

He looked far too overexcited by the news. I raised an eyebrow questioningly as he began chattering about the possibilities. Apparently there was a species of Lutvian Caterpillar which had mutated due to contact with a rift and now ate flesh. There was also, according to the Doctor, a shape shifting species on the Planet Fup who took whichever form it thought would help them avoid detection easiest. I couldn't see how disguising themselves as giant maggots would be particularly helpful in this case, but said nothing.

"Maybe the witnesses were just drunk?" Rory suggested, voicing a thought that had not long entered my own mind.

The Doctor snorted and didn't dignify his suggestion with an answer. "Come on… to the river!"

We headed after him, Amy and I exchanging an exasperated yet amused look. Once the Doctor gets an idea in his head that's it. The ground was muddy, despite the fact that it was supposedly the summer. Then again, it was England, I told myself with a sigh.

Along a small lane, we passed a pair of teenage girls who shot us curious looks, their eyes following us as we went.

"Cassandra! Look at their clothes! The women are wearing trousers!" The younger looking girl said, barely lowering her voice. Her sister shushed her.

"Jane!" She admonished. I grinned slightly, but then something stirred in my mind. Their names seemed familiar. Then again, I decided, they weren't exactly uncommon.

x-x

The Doctor hadn't found anything interesting at the river bank. We felt a little smug, seeing as he'd been so adamant that going there would help him explain everything. There was no trace of anything and the sonic screwdriver hadn't picked up any residue energy or anything. Rory was still convinced that the 'witnesses' must have still been suffering from the effects of the night before.

"So… what do we do?" Amy asked as we wandered through the town. It was small with shops on either side of one cobbled road. "Do we hang around here on the odd chance that something's going on or do we leave?"

"There must be a reason for us to be here!" He almost whined, trying to convince us. None of us were, though and we walked in silence for a moment, the four of us striding along the eighteenth century street in a line. I smirked slightly, wondering whether we looked as though we were on some kind of mission. Maybe with a little slow-mo added in we could pass as being in a movie.

"Look… scan the entire area if you have to." I told him with a sigh. "Before we're burnt as witches or something."

"She's got a point, Doctor." Rory said, glancing around. We were receiving a lot of glares from the people who were gathering in small clumps to stare at us.

"But…" He started, pouting slightly as we bundled him along. He was alarmingly attempting to stop walking. "If there's something here…"

"We'll find out when you check in the TARDIS." I assured him, glancing over my shoulder. I'd heard a small clatter and my heart dropped as I noticed he'd dropped the sonic screwdriver. Growling, I let go of his arm. "Amy, Rory, get him in the TARDIS… I'll catch you up."

Jogging back to scoop up the device, I straightened up and found myself staring into the face of the teenage girl who had pointed out our odd clothing to her companion earlier. Her head was tilted slightly to one side as she scrutinised me closely. I stepped backwards quickly alarmed by her proximity. She could move quickly.

"Alright?" I said, saying the first thing that came into my mind. Then I pulled a face, realising that this probably wasn't the appropriate way to greet people around here.

"Who are you? People are saying you're some kind of demon, but you don't look like a demon to me. I'd always imagined them to be inhuman looking, but you're definitely human, aren't you? And a rather pretty one at that." She said.

My eyebrows almost vanished into my hair as I contemplated what she'd said. "Thanks… I think. And no, I'm not a demon. Yes, I'm human. Are you?" She laughed musically at my words, not taking the question seriously. "What's your name?"

"I'm Jane, Jane Austen."

"NO WAY!" I exclaimed, laughing in my surprise. "I wondered when I heard you speaking to your sister… this is too cool! How old are you?"

Her eyebrows furrowed in slight concern at my reaction. "Fifteen, Miss…?"

"Bennet, Elizabeth Bennet." I said, hiding the smirk that was battling to cross my face.

"A good name." She told me, thoughtfully.

"You can have it if you want." I said with a shrug. "I've heard you write stories."

"How did you hear that?" She asked defensively.

"I'd better go." I said quickly, avoiding the question and glancing around at the sea of suspicious faces. "My family will be waiting."

"Your family?" She asked, apparently forgetting she'd asked a question and I hadn't answered it. "Why are you dressed so peculiarly?"

"You've heard of the circus?" I said, struck by sudden inspiration. "That's us."

"Really?" She exclaimed, her hand on my arm preventing me from escaping as I had intended. Her face shone with excitement. "What parts do you play?"

"Err… I'm a tightrope walker?" I said, slightly unsure about what kind of circus performers they had in 1791. Then I thought before I spoke again. Telling her that Amy and Rory were my Grandparents would totally confuse the girl. "My… sister… is a contortionist and her husband is a lion tamer. My brother, the odd looking one with floppy hair and the bowtie, is a ventriloquist."

"A what?" Jane asked intrigued. I sighed, really wanting to escape from her questioning before I said something that got us into trouble.

"He does funny voices and talks through puppets. Without his mouth moving. It makes a change actually…" I added, going off on a completely separate train of thought. Shaking my head slightly I smiled at her. "But I really need to go… good luck with the writing… I'm sure you'll do brilliantly."

Then I was off in the direction we'd left the TARDIS, the sonic screwdriver clutched tightly in my hand as I ran. I laughed loudly, realising how surreal the conversation I'd just had was.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Wait…" Amy said, holding up her hands and staring at the dark-haired teenager with a disbelieving grin on her face. "You told Jane Austen… THE Jane Austen… that your name was Elizabeth Bennet and she could use it if she wanted?"<strong>_

_**Evie nodded, grinning. **_

"_**And you said I was a ventriloquist?" The Doctor demanded, focusing on that and not appearing as impressed as his companion. "Why did Rory get to be the lion tamer? That's brave and exciting… you told her I talk to puppets?"**_

_**She grinned again, laughing. "So, did you find anything anomalous? Or did the TARDIS just bring us here so that I could embarrass you in front of a literary genius?"**_

_**The Doctor turned away from the teenager, growling. Then he swung the landing lever up and pressed several buttons, deliberately not turning the stabilisers on so that his three companions were sent flying around the console room. Even this wasn't enough to wipe the beaming smiles from their faces as they clung onto whatever they could to stop themselves flying around dangerously.**_


	39. Work Experience

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Work Experience**

Age: 16

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: March 2013

* * *

><p>Mum had dropped me off at Torchwood Three, the Cardiff Hub to spend some time with Jack while she went off hunting some rare painting that she had recently tracked down. For once I'd been given the option of whether I wanted to go with her, but art and paintings bored me and, however exciting the chase was, I knew I'd get bored quickly.<p>

"Hey?" I called, heading down on the chuck of pavement that served as an invisible lift from Roald Dhal Plass above. There didn't seem to be anyone in and, since Mafanwy had been killed when the hub had been destroyed several years previously, it was in silence. This seemed to be the case the majority of the time when I arrived.

I didn't have long to wait before the alarms sounded and the doors moved across slowly. Animated chatter reached my ears Jack appeared with a plastic bag in one hand and a large pizza box under his other arm. A pretty black woman appeared behind him, another pizza box clutched in her hands.

She spotted me first, her eyebrows furrowing slightly before she reached for a gun on the desk beside her, aiming it at me. I didn't flinch.

"Uncle Jack?" I said with a sigh. He turned his attention away from his colleague and the puzzled expression on his face vanished as he spotted me.

"Evie Song!" He said with a laugh, moving towards me. I jumped into his arms and he swung me round, as he always did. "What are you doing here?"

"Work Experience." I told him with a grin. "Mum's off on one of her missions."

"Fabulous!" He laughed, before standing aside and waving his arm in the direction of the bewildered woman who was still pointing her gun at me. "This is Martha Smith… she was Martha Jones when she met the Doctor."

I smiled at her. "Nice to meet you, Martha, I've heard lots about you."

"How much?" She asked, smirking slightly and raising an eyebrow. I looked a little confused. "What have you heard?"

"That you travelled with the Doctor after Rose and before Donna and that you're a doctor yourself." I said with a shrug, wondering what she meant.

"Oh…" Martha seemed a little surprised. "So… you travel with the Doctor now? His companions are getting younger then… how old are you?"

"Sixteen." I told her with a shrug, settling myself in one of the swivelling chairs and spinning it quickly. "But I don't always travel with him, so technically I'm not a companion."

"Evie's Mum is a friend of the Doctor's… the future Doctor."

I raised an eyebrow, grabbing hold of the desk to bring the spinning chair to an abrupt halt. "She's a bit more than his friend." I said meaningfully.

Jack smirked and moulded his face into a shocked expression. "Evie! Whatever do you mean!" As I opened my mouth to explain, he held up a hand to stop me. "On second thoughts, don't answer that."

I laughed and started spinning round again. I could hear Martha and Jack muttering quietly, as though they hoped that I couldn't hear. They were discussing what to do about my sudden appearance. Apparently there was an interesting case for them to deal with but Martha wasn't sure whether I should get involved. I sighed loudly, raising an eyebrow and Jack glanced over.

"Pizza?" He offered. Nodding I opened the box and helped myself to a slice, removing the onions and peppers with a grimace. Vegetables did not belong on pizza; it was supposed to be unhealthy.

"You do realise that you won't be getting rid of me, or palming me off on anyone else." I told them, interrupting their conversation. "I've been dealing with dangerous stuff since I could walk."

"Wouldn't dream of it." Jack informed me, picking up a slice of pizza and jamming most of it in his mouth in one go. I shook my head slightly, pulling a face and proceeded to demolish the rest of my own slice in another bite. He grinned. Martha sighed and sat down, opening the other box and starting to eat.

The doors opened once more and Gwen walked in, with a man. His gaze went immediately to Martha and her face lit up. I guessed this must be her husband from the look that was passing between them. Gwen beamed at me, ruffling my hair and squeezing my shoulders as she passed.

"Evie, this is Micky, Martha's husband." Jack said through a mouthful of pizza. "Micky, this is my Goddaughter, Evie."

"Alright?" The man nodded to me, before moving to kiss his wife.

"Aww, sweet…" I muttered, glancing at Jack and pulling a face. He grinned at me, but there was something different about him. Something flashed through his eyes and he jumped to his feet, announcing that there was something he had to do but he'd be back soon. Then he was gone through the door and he vanished.

x-x

Unlike Martha, Gwen had no qualms about involving me on their new case. She called me over and showed me a series of photographs. Each showed a different person, of different genders, races and ages, but there was one similarity between them. Each person had a small triangular mark above their left eyebrow. In each photograph it was in an identical position.

"Any thoughts?" The Welsh woman asked, glancing up at me. I leant on the back of her chair, screwing up my face slightly as I concentrated.

"Two. Perhaps all of these people have an identical tattoo; possibly the mark of some club or religious order." I suggested, glancing briefly at her, before scrolling through the images again. "But my money would be on a shape shifter or chameleon or something along those lines… There's obviously a slight malfunction in the process because the mark is always present. I'd say there would be other similarities between all of these people as well… maybe height or foot size or something similar?"

Gwen grinned at me. "You're right… they all have size six feet and while there is a little variation in height it seems to only be a few inches difference either side of five foot ten; four inches different at the most."

"See… I'm a freakin' genius!" I announced, grinning. For a minute Gwen looked as though she didn't know whether to laugh or shake her head in exasperation. Then she decided to laugh and I grinned, pivoting on the balls of my feet to perch on her desk. "Where's Jack?"

"Hmm?" She said, suddenly feigning distraction as she shuffled through the folders in front of her. I raised an eyebrow.

"Where's Jack gone?"

"Oh… he had to pop home to sort something out."

I looked at her in confusion. "Home? I thought Jack lived here… at the hub?"

"What? Oh… No. Not anymore." She said vaguely, obviously not wanting to say anything that I could latch onto and draw more information from.

"Why?"

"Well… maybe he wanted to start separating work and life." Gwen suggested with a shrug. I knew that she was hiding something instantly. "I don't know!"

"Has he got another new girlfriend? A boyfriend?" I asked with a sigh, tilting my head and remembering the look on his face when Mickey had kissed Martha. "He does, doesn't he? Is it serious?"

"What are you talking about?" Gwen asked, pretending to be totally lost. I could tell she was pretending because her eyes flicked slightly to the left as they did when she lied. It was hardly noticeable, but it was there.

Shrugging I smirked. "I suppose I'll find out, later. I mean, if Jack doesn't live here anymore I'll have to stay at his house. So I'll get to meet whoever it is that's got him acting like this."

"Actually, you're staying with me tonight." She announced, standing up and sliding her gun into the inside pocket of her jacket. "Come on… we've got a shape shifter to track down."

x-x

I bombarded Gwen with questions as we stalked through the streets of Cardiff following the flashing dot on the screen of the tracker Mickey had handed us. He and Martha had a night off so they'd left early, keen to make the most of it. The Welsh woman glared at me as I continued to annoy her.

We turned down an alley and spotted a tramp sitting against the wall beside a bin. Gwen accidently nudged him with her foot as she passed, too focused on the flashing light on the tracker. The tramp's eyes flashed with red light as he turned to look at her.

"Gwen, look out!" I shouted, pushing her out of his reach and firing a shot from my laser blaster without thinking.

There was a popping sound and a stream of smoke, which obscured our vision for a moment, before Gwen fired at the fleeting figure. I joined her and somehow one of our shots did what it was intended to do because the body fell in a crumpled heap.

"Come on… let's get it to the SUV." Gwen said, glancing around. There was no one in sight, so we heaved the body between us and lugged it along the road to where we'd left the car. Opening the back door, Gwen and I heaved the man onto the back seat, before getting into the front.

"D'you think there's only one?" I asked, glancing warily over my shoulder at the man. It was almost as though I thought that if I took my eyes off him he would come back to life and kill us both. I'd obviously heard too many stories about the Weeping Angles.

"Not sure… We'll get Martha to examine the body in the morning and set up scans of the city and surrounding area using its DNA. That should tell us if there are any more of them around." I nodded, not moving my gaze. "It's not going to get you if you turn around."

"Yeah, I know…" I said in a small voice.

"Come on, sweetheart." Gwen coaxed. "You did good. Jack will be so proud when I tell him you saved me."

"I didn't save you?" I said, slightly confused.

"What d'you think would have happened if you hadn't shoved me out of the way and shot him the first time, eh?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Fair point…" I conceded with a grin. "You owe me… so where's Jack?"

Gwen laughed. "You don't give up, do you?"

"Nope."

"I can't tell you, darling. I promised Jack."

I gave up then, knowing that Gwen wasn't going to tell me Jack's secrets and that it wasn't fair to keep on at her. Instead I turned my attention to questioning her about her daughter and what had been happening around the hub.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Evie? Are you here?" A voice called out and River appeared on the lift, descending from the ceiling. The teenager was a little disappointed to see her Mother. Jack hadn't come back yet, so she hadn't had a chance to bombard him with questions about his whereabouts. <strong>_

"_**Yeah, I'm here." Evie called back, standing up and heading towards the centre of the hub. River looked around and grinned at Gwen who came over to hug her.**_

"_**Is he here?" The woman asked, looking around frostily. **_

"_**Jack?" Gwen asked, knowing that something had happened between her boss and River that had stopped their previously close friendship. Neither would reveal the reason and everyone had given up trying to find out. For Gwen it was particularly confusing because, depending on which River turned up sometimes they were fine with each other. Apparently a little further down her timeline they made up.**_

"_**Yes. HIM."**_

"_**He's out… he's gone home for a while." Gwen said with a meaningful smile. River obviously understood her, because she growled slightly, hugged her friend goodbye and headed off, leaving Evie to say her goodbyes and follow quickly after her. **_


	40. End of the Line 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: End of the Line**

Age: 22

Location: London, England, Earth

Date:

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Where are you two off?" River demanded, hands on her hips and an eyebrow arched as she caught the two young women moving suspiciously towards the doors at the other end of the console room. Sheepishly Evie and Jenny turned around, fixing her with identical innocent expressions.<strong>_

"_**Shopping." They chorused, smiling serenely. River wasn't convinced for a second.**_

"_**You know," Jenny continued, "a bit of sister bonding time."**_

"_**And you know how much Dad hates us going shopping. You'd have thought the TARDIS WASN'T bigger on the inside the way he complains." Evie added with a shrug.**_

_**River raised both her eyebrows. "Hmmm…" She murmured.**_

_**Taking her lack of an attempt to stop them as consent, the girls darted out of the police box and closed the door behind them. Exchanging a glance, Jenny put her hand on Evie's arm, the brunette pushed the button on her Vortex Manipulator and they vanished.**_

* * *

><p>"Are you SURE that this is a good idea?" Jenny muttered for the twentieth time, shooting me a wary look.<p>

We darted behind a post box, tumbling over each other in our attempts to hide from the Daleks that were patrolling the streets. It was night and the creatures were everywhere. People rushed past our hiding place screaming in terror. The familiar, grating voices of the Daleks filled my head and made it difficult to concentrate on anything else.

"Nope." I admitted, popping the 'p' and shooting her a wide grin. "But I want to know what happened. Don't you?"

The blonde shook her head. "Not really, no."

I sighed. "But you said that Donna was the closest thing you've got to a Mum, right?" Jenny nodded. "So… surely you want to know what happened to make Dad have to take her memories."

"But she's got them back, now." She argued in a hiss.

I was about to answer when a Dalek passed incredibly close to us and we shrank back instinctively. The gap between the post box and the wall behind was really far too small for the pair of us to hide in easily, but the large, leafy bush to the left made it slightly easier. Jenny exhaled sharply between her teeth as I pressed her roughly into the shrubbery as I scrabbled to stay out of sight.

"Not that you'd know… you haven't even been to visit her yet!" I pointed out a couple of seconds later when the Dalek had moved along and I guessed it was safe to continue our whispered argument. The comment was a low blow, I knew, but I refused to believe that she wasn't bothered. "But aren't you curious?"

Jenny glared at me and shook her head again. There was another hair-raising moment when a couple of Daleks paused in front of us for a moment.

"We shall take the humans on this street and the next; males, females and descendants." One of them said.

"Understood." The other replied, as they moved away. We let out a collective sigh.

Grabbing my hand, which was comforting to us both, Jenny looked at me seriously. "I'm more concerned about what happens if something goes wrong. You know the risks of rewriting the past… what if you die before you've even been born? What if you stop yourself being born?"

"How would I do that, exactly? Mum hasn't even been born yet!" I laughed softly.

"Exactly… what if we do something that stops the Doctor meeting Amy… then she and Rory would never travel in the TARDIS and your Mum won't get born, so neither will you."

I chewed the inside of my cheek nervously, thinking about it. She was right and I hadn't even stopped to consider what would happen if things went wrong. It was a trait I'd learnt from my parents. Worriedly I thought about it for a moment or two. Then I grinned and shrugged. "We'll just have to be careful then, won't we?"

"You are so annoying!" Jenny hissed. Then she smiled weakly. "Fine, let's do it… but… HOW are we going to do this?"

"We have to get on the TARDIS without anyone spotting us. Then we have to stay hidden… we're just observing, right. We don't interfere, that's the deal. That way we can't mess anything up, yeah?"

Jenny took a deep breath. "In theory… but how are we going to find the TARDIS, sneak on board and hide?"

I thought for a couple of moments, before turning to face her slightly guiltily. "I have no idea…"

"Well… brilliant!" She snapped, exhaling deeply. "We're going to end up dead and completely changing the future, aren't we?"

"It'll be fine…" I assured her, more confidently than I felt. Then I groaned and buried my face in my hands. "Oh, god… I really didn't think this through, did I? D'you want to just go back?"

After a moment's thought, Jenny shook her head and grinned. "We can do this, Evie."

I grinned, her faith reassuring me. "You're right!" Thinking hard, I squeezed my eyes shut trying to think of a way to get us onto the TARDIS. There had to be a way.

"Your VM's connected to the TARDIS matrix, isn't it?" Jenny asked, motioning to the device on my wrist. I nodded, not understanding for a moment where she was going with her train of thought. "So if you can fix onto it…"

"… I can take us straight there, wherever it is." I finished her sentence, beaming at her. "You are a genius!"

"It runs in the family!" Jenny laughed, before clamping her hands over her mouth to stifle the sound before one of the patrolling Daleks heard. I nudged her gently in the ribs, grinning before I glanced down at my wrist, concentrating on what needed to be done.

Working quickly I set up a scan to find the TARDIS's signal. There was a beep, signalling that a signal had been found much more quickly than I had ever imagined. I managed to lock onto the closest signal, hoping that it was the right one. Knowing my luck I'd locked onto completely the wrong TARDIS. Unable to believe what I was seeing, I pulled a face and repeated the scan. It returned the same reading.

"What?" Jenny hissed.

"It's telling me that the TARDIS is parked about half a mile that way." I informed her, slightly bewildered, pointing in a vaguely northerly direction. "But…"

"… why?" Jenny finished my question, shooting me a nervous look.

"Surely it's the TARDIS we're looking for, right? I mean… it's too much of a coincidence otherwise."

Before Jenny could respond, a terrifyingly familiar sound reached our ears. A metallic, roboty voice.

"Non-human life-forms detected." A Dalek announced. "You will show yourselves."

"We better hope it's not a coincidence." Jenny muttered, glancing at me with wide, terrified eyes. I nodded, gripping her hand as we stood and locked the Vortex Manipulator onto the TARDIS.

I smirked, fixing the Dalek with a hard expression and raising an eyebrow. "Laters, pepper-pot."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: As you've probably guessed, this is going to be a multi-chapter part, and it's the longest one yet. You've probably already guessed which episodes it's based on! ;)_**

**_I just want to warn you now that I'm back at uni and, what with living in a house with six other girls and my lectures, etc., I'm going to try and update as often as possible. I've got about... seven... more chapters written and ready to be uploaded, but after that there might be longer between updates. Reviews will encourage me to make sure they're regular ;)_**

**_I really hope you're still enjoying this! _**

**_B x_**


	41. End of the Line 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: End of the Line**

The console room was empty as we materialised. Shooting meaningful looks at each other, we looked around carefully putting all our instincts and training into action to gain any clues. The doors were closed but putting my hand lightly on the console told me that the machine had only just landed, so the inhabitants couldn't be too far away.

"It's the old console room." Jenny pointed out. "At least we've got the right Doctor."

I nodded, gazing around for somewhere we could hide. Before I'd found anywhere decent, the doors flew open and panicked voices reached our ears. Staring wildly at each other, Jenny and I dived behind two of the coral pillars, pressing ourselves against them out of sight.

Not that the four people who had entered were paying us the slightest bit of attention. Feeling like a contortionist, I craned my neck to try and see what was going on. There was a figure on the floor, with two others crouching over it; a blonde and a red-head. Surely that must be Donna, I decided, recognising her fiery hair instantly. A man in a long, navy coat and carrying two massive guns closed the doors and moved around the console. I held my breath as Jack passed me, closing my eyes as though that would stop him noticing that I was standing just a hair's breadth away from him.

"_Wha– What do we do?_" Donna asked, her voice shaking with emotion. My stomach dropped as I realised who the figure lying on the ground was. The Doctor was writhing in agony, the two women trying to soothe him. "_There must be some medicine or something?_"

I caught Jenny's eye and shook my head warningly. An anguished expression was twisting her features and I was suddenly convinced that she was going to do something completely stupid.

"Don't even think about it…" I mouthed at her, shaking my head firmly.

She stole a glance at the scene and then looked back at me. "He's dying."

"He's the Doctor." I mouthed back silently, pleading with my eyes for her to stay hidden. "He'll be alright!"

I pressed back further out of sight as Jack whirled past me again.

"_Just step back._" He was ordering Donna and the blonde woman. "_Rose! Do as I say and get back! He's dying and you know what happens next!_"

I snuck another peek at the figures in front of the console, concentrating on looking at Rose. The famous Rose Tyler, I thought, scrutinising her closely. She looked older than she had when I'd met her before, although I supposed, she would. It had been two years ago. From this angle she didn't look like anything special. She just looked like a scared young woman who was totally out of her depth and hardly older than Jenny and me.

"_What d'you mean?_" Donna asked. She and Rose were crying now, sobs wracking their bodies.

I pressed my lips together, supressing the emotion that I felt in huge waves at Jack's words. Then I thought about it logically. Unless something had changed, which would be very bad indeed, the Doctor didn't regenerate now. He hadn't met me yet and that was definitely the version that I had met in the time loop. So… did that meant that something had gone wrong, already? And if it had, what? Jenny and I hadn't done anything!

"_What d'you mean? What happens next?_" Donna was demanding, moving towards Jack. Rose was still on the ground beside Dad, cradling his head.

The Doctor raised his hand, looking at it closely. "_It's starting!_"

I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the coral pillar and feeling hot tears pressing themselves out from beneath my eyelids. I didn't notice Jenny slipping out from behind her pillar and neither did I see her throwing herself into Donna's arms. I did, however, hear the shriek that accompanied her actions.

"Jenny!" Donna screamed, pulling my sister into her arms and burying her face in her hair. "What are you… how?"

Before Jenny could answer, not that she was capable of it anyway, Jack leapt forwards and pulled Rose away from the Doctor.

"_Here we go!_" He said, hugging Rose and pulling Donna and Jenny backwards firmly. "_Good luck, Doctor!_"

"_Will someone please tell me what is going on?_" Donna screeched, one arm still clamped around Jenny and the other waving wildly in the air. She was in great danger of smacking Jack in the face.

"_When he's dying his body it… it repairs itself… it changes._" Rose explained. Then she turned her attention back to the Doctor, who was pulling himself upright using the console for support. "_But you can't!_"

He looked at them, taking in all four faces watching him from beside the console. For a minute I considered moving to join them, not wanting to be on my own. Then I realised it wasn't an option; none of them had a clue who I was. Well, Jack and Jenny did, but I doubted Rose would remember me and Donna hadn't even met me yet.

"_I'm sorry…_" The Doctor apologised. "_It's too late… I'm regenerating._"

I covered my face, sliding down the pillar as the familiar golden light exploded from his hands and head. I'd seen it before, but it didn't make seeing it any easier to deal with. I allowed a sob to escape from my mouth, hoping that no one had heard it. Trying to get my feelings under control, I stayed on the floor out of sight, breathing deeply with my arms curled tightly around my legs and my face pressed into my knees. My jeans were already damp from the tears that were spilling from my eyes and soaking into the material.

"_Now then… where were we?_" I heard a familiar voice saying. Looking up, my eyebrows furrowed as I wondered how I could possibly be hearing that voice. It shouldn't be possible. Looking round the pillar my mouth dropped open as I spotted the same Doctor standing in the middle of the console room.

"What?" I muttered under my breath, trying to understand how he could possibly be the same after regenerating. That wasn't how it was supposed to work. Then I shook my head, unable to come up with any explanation at all.

"_There now…_" He muttered, crouching beside what looked like a jar on the floor, before moving to his knees. "_You see! Use the regeneration energy to heal myself, but as soon as that was done I didn't need to change. I didn't want to… why would I? Look at me! So, to stop the energy going all the way I siphoned off the rest into a handy bio-matching receptacle… namely, my hand. That hand there. My handy spare hand. Remember, Christmas day? Sycorax? Lost my hand in a sword fight? That's my hand. What d'you think?_"

Most of the Doctor's speech had been lost on me. I was thinking about how he'd managed to transfer the energy into his hand and stop himself changing. That was a handy trick… maybe I'd look into doing something similar at some point. I was rather fond of this body.

When I looked round again, he and Rose were hugging and Jack was looking Donna up and down with a strange expression on his face; one I knew all too well. Jenny was hovering awkwardly beside them, apparently now regretting losing her head and running out from her hiding place. She kept shooting little glances over towards me and I hoped that she wouldn't give me away.

"_You can hug me if you want._" Donna told Jack, who laughed. "_No, really, you can hug me._"

While they were distracted, I leant out from behind the pillar and shook my head sharply at Jenny, motioning in their direction. After a momentary confused look, she understood and jumped between them, just as Jack was about to take Donna up on her offer. As much as I loved my Godfather, I knew what he was like.


	42. End of the Line 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: End of the Line**

The Doctor had hugged Jenny for a long time. I suppose thinking she was dead and then seeing her standing in the middle of the TARDIS console room would make him want to make sure he wasn't dreaming. So far I was still undetected, but my resolve to keep that the case was failing somewhat. If Jenny could play an active role, why couldn't I?

The answer was obvious… only Jack knew who I was. If I suddenly appeared then the Doctor would instantly be suspicious. No, I had to stay hidden. Growling, I settled back and listened to their plans – or lack of them.

Suddenly the lights went out. Something had caused the power to fail. This sudden occurrence nearly completely broke my resolve and sent me running to the others; I hate the dark.

"_They've got us!_" The Doctor cried, moving around the console and trying the controls, all of which were completely dead. "_Power's gone… Some kind of chronon loop…_"

There was a massive jolt and the console room listed violently to one side. I only just managed to stop myself rolling out from behind the coral pillar and into plain view. My fingers stung with the effort of gripping onto the material and I breathed deeply to try and ignore the pain.

Jenny screamed, spiralling into the Doctor, who held her close, his other hand steadying Donna beside him. Jack and Rose had an advantage in that the jolt had thrown them into the console and they were able to hold onto it.

After a moment or two, they managed to calm themselves down and were thinking rationally again. I shuffled around again so that I had a clear view past the pillar. Jenny was still shooting me pleading looks, obviously wanting me to make myself known so that she wasn't alone. She was standing close to Donna, I noticed, apparently drawing some kind of comfort from her.

"_There's a massive Dalek ship at the centre of the planets._" Jack informed the others warily. "_They're calling it the Crucible. I guess that's our destination…_"

"_You said these planets were like an engine?_" Donna reminded the Doctor. "_But what for?_"

Something seemed to occur to the Doctor and he turned quickly to Rose, an expression I recognised all too well on his face. It was his 'I think I've just thought of something I should probably have thought of before' face. "_Rose! You've been in a parallel world. That world's running ahead of this universe… what was it?_"

"_It's the darkness…_"

"_The stars were going out…_" Donna added slowly, staring at the Doctor as though some painful, repressed memory was coming back to her.

"_One by one._" Rose continued, clutching the console so tightly that her knuckles turned white. "_We looked up at the sky and they were just dying. Basically we've been building this… umm… this travel machine… this… Dimension Cannon... so I could… well, so I could…_"

"_What?_"

Rose smirked at the Doctor slightly, as though the answer wasn't needed. "_So I could come back!_"

The Doctor grinned as well, a soppy smile that, for some reason made me feel a little nauseous. Jenny had a similar expression on her face to the one I assumed was on mine. She glanced quickly at me and rolled her eyes. I grinned back, before darting back out of sight as Donna followed her gaze and almost caught sight of me.

"_Shut up!_" Rose said in an equally soppy voice, grinning at him. "_Anyway, suddenly it started to work and the dimensions started to collapse. Not just in our world… not just in yours… but the whole of reality. Even the void was dead. Something is destroying everything!_"

The smirks had fallen from both their faces now, replaced by something much more worried. A resigned look appeared in the Doctor's eyes, briefly dampening their usual sparkle. That was evident even from my hiding place across the console room.

Donna spoke quietly, as though she wasn't sure about doing so. "_In that parallel world, you said something about me._"

Rose turned to look at her and I didn't like the expression on her face at all. "_The Dimension Cannon could measure time lines and it's… it's weird, Donna, but they all seem to converge on you._"

"_But why me?_" The red-head demanded. "_I mean, what have I ever done? I'm a temp from Chiswick._"

I closed my eyes, remembering how many times I'd heard those words in her voice before. And every time she said them my heart shattered a little bit. No matter how many times she was told how brilliant and wonderful and special she was, Donna could never allow herself to believe it was true. My eyes met Jenny's again and I smiled weakly, noticing how upset she was at the woman's words.

"The most important woman in the universe." Jenny mouthed carefully at me. I nodded fervently and smiled broadly at her.

No one answered Donna – either because they didn't know what to say or because they were distracted by a bleeping noise from the console. The Doctor checked the scanner and grimaced slightly.

"_The Dalek Crucible…_" He said carefully. "_All aboard!_"

None of them spoke as the TARDIS began shaking slightly. It seemed to be nearing its destination because the movement slowed down slightly. Jenny grabbed Donna's hand again, holding onto her tightly. She turned her head, shooting me a pleading look, but once again I shook my head. Even if I wanted to show myself, I'd left it too late now and it would just be weird.

"_Doctor! You will step forth or die!_" A Dalek commanded from outside.

The Doctor, Rose, Jack, Jenny and Donna all stood facing the doors as though they were about to be blown open.

"_We'll have to go out._" The Doctor said in a low voice. "_'Cause if we don't they'll get in._"

"_You told me nothing could get through those doors._" Rose accused him, panic clear in her voice.

"_You've got extrapolator shielding._" Jack pointed out.

Jenny nodded in agreement. "_Surely they won't be able to get through that?_"

The Doctor turned, looking anxious. "_Last time we fought the Daleks they were scavengers and hybrids and mad. But this is a fully-fledged Dalek Empire at the height of its power… experts at fighting TARDISES. They can do anything._" Collectively, everyone gulped. "_Right now, that wooden door is just wood._"

"I knew this was a terrible idea." Jenny groaned quietly, although her words reached my ears easily. I grimaced knowing that, once again, I'd got her into a dangerous situation that was out of both our controls.

"_What about your dimension jump?_" Jack asked Rose.

"_It needs another 20 minutes and anyway, I'm not leaving._" She answered bravely.

"_What about your teleport?_" The Doctor asked Jack.

"_Went down with the power loss._"

"How did you get here, Jenny?" He asked anxiously, gripping her arm. Jenny shrugged and hesitated for a moment. I closed my eyes begging her not to tell him.

"I slipped inside the TARDIS when you weren't looking." She said innocently with a shrug. The Doctor didn't look convinced, but he didn't argue either.

There was a long sigh. "_Right then… all of us together, yeah? Donna?_" When she didn't answer, I shifted so that I could see what was happening near the console. Donna seemed to be lost in her thoughts, staring at thin air. The Doctor moved to stand directly in front of her, putting his hands gently on her upper arms and giving them a gentle squeeze. "_Donna._"

She jumped slightly as though she hadn't known he was there. "_Yeah._"

"_I'm sorry, there's nothing else we can do._" He told her gently, his eyes boring into hers pleadingly. I remembered what he'd told me about how much strength he drew from her in moments like this and I could see how much he needed her.

"_I know._" She nodded as the Dalek spoke again from outside, demanding their surrender.

Nervous laughter rang through the console room as they tried to reassure themselves. I clenched my fists and closed my eyes tightly, remembering the pain of being shot by one of the creatures not all that long ago.

"_It's been good though, hasn't it?_" The Doctor said with a small smile on his face as he let her eyes wander over the faces of his friends in front of him. His was the only face I could see as the others had their backs to me. "_All of us… all of it… everything we did._" He looked at Donna. "_You were brilliant._" He told her. I saw her head nodding slightly, before he said the same to the other three, each of them nodding in turn. I closed my eyes, imagining that he was telling me the same. "_Blimey._"

As though he was walking to his death, which maybe he was, the Doctor went towards the doors determinedly. Rose followed with Jack just behind her. Jenny hesitated for a moment, throwing a glance just behind her to Donna, before her eyes flickered to my hiding place. I bit my lip, tears springing to my eyes as I wondered what I should do. But before I could do anything, Jenny followed and disappeared through the doors. Donna followed; her shoulders moving as she took a deep breath.

I leant my head back against the pillar, breathing deeply, allowing audible sobs to escape. What did it matter now if I could be heard; everyone had gone. I wrapped my arms around my knees, burying my face in them once more.

A loud slamming noise grabbed my attention and I sat bolt upright. Then I leapt to my feet and moved from behind the pillar realising at once that I wasn't alone after all. Donna turned and looked at me, her eyes wide and terrified.

"Who are you?" She demanded. "What's happening?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hey guys! Another update so soon? Well… it's Sunday and Freshers' Flu has caught up with me so I'm currently in bed, feeling incredibly sorry for myself, watching TV and not intending to do very much with my day at all!**_

_**Also, reading your reviews this morning when I woke up made me feel so much better, so thank you, thank you, thank you! I really do appreciate and love you guys! :)**_


	43. End of the Line 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: End of the Line**

"Bugger…" I muttered under my breath as she stared at me. "I'm Evie. But… we'll deal with that later. Right now I think we should try and work out why we're locked in."

Donna hesitated and then nodded, turning back to the doors and starting to hammer on them angrily.

"_Doctor?_" She shouted. "_What've you done?_"

"_It wasn't me!_" He protested from the other side of the doors. "_I didn't do anything!_"

"_Oi! Oi, I'm not staying behind!_" She screamed, her terror rising by the minute.

"_What did you do?_" The unseen Doctor screamed. Instinctively we both knew that he wasn't talking to us. Outside there was obviously an answer, although we couldn't make out what was said.

Donna was still bashing on the wood and shouting for the Doctor. I joined in, standing beside her and hammering on the doors with my fists.

"Jenny!" I screamed. "Get us out of here!"

"Evieee!" She screeched in return and there was a thud against the doors which told me she had thrown herself at the TARDIS.

"Evie?" Jack demanded, his voice going cold. "Doctor… you HAVE to get these doors open. NOW!"

There was a lot of shouting from the other side of the doors and suddenly we plummeted downwards, both of us screaming at a level that would have caused several glass windows to shatter. In fact, there were several loud crashes and a flurry of sparks, but I was almost certain that had nothing to do with us.

"DOCTOR!" Donna screeched, clinging onto the TARDIS urgently.

I fought my way up the ramp to the controls and started throwing switches and pressing buttons desperately. I rammed the landing lever backwards and forwards angrily, praying that somehow the engines would spark back into life and the connection would catch, sending us into the Vortex and safety. Absolutely nothing happened. An array of colourful swear-words leapt out of my mouth in my frustration, causing the red-head to stare at me.

"Language!" She snapped, almost maternally. Then she looked slightly taken aback by her reaction.

As more and more explosions occurred around us, we both screamed, clutching each other in terror and doing our best not to be thrown around the room. A shard of glass from one of the lights embedded itself just below my collar bone and I gasped loudly. Donna screamed and stared at it in horror.

"It's fine." I assured her, wincing and reaching up to draw the glass out slowly.

"No… don't!" She tried to stop me removing it, but I waved her hand away.

As soon as the foreign object was removed from my skin, the wound began to heal at once, a slight golden mist hovering around the area. Her eyes widened as she watched. In a couple of minutes all that was left was a small scar and a large amount of blood on my t-shirt.

"What?" She demanded, raising her eyebrows and apparently forgetting that we seemed to be plummeting to our deaths.

"Don't tell the Doctor I just did that…" I gasped out, taking deep breaths and regaining my strength before moving back to the controls. "He can't know… I'll get Jack to check me over later."

Donna knelt on the ground, coughing and clutching the console and chair to steady herself as I moved around wildly. Nothing I was doing had any effect but I refused to just wait for death. I bashed on the console, swearing in several different languages. As though she got the gist of what I was saying, Donna raised her eyebrows at me and I felt myself blushing slightly.

"Sorry…" I muttered.

But Donna wasn't paying me any attention. Her gaze was focused on the jar which contained the Doctor's spare hand. Nervously I watched it as well, wondering why she was so fixated on the object. She crawled towards it, raising her hand slowly and stretching out to touch the side.

For some reason every instinct in my body was screaming at me to stop her. My feet were rooted to the ground and I couldn't move. I couldn't even speak. My mouth hung open as I watched her getting closer and closer to the jar.

Suddenly gold mist poured from the vessel, surrounding it and Donna and causing her to shake violently and gasp loudly. I jumped forwards, before stopping myself and stepping back again. There was nothing I could do to stop the regeneration energy passing between them. If I tried I would just end up making things far worse for both of us.

"Donna!" I shouted, hoping to get through to her. "Donna, stop!"

The jar smashed, leaving the hand lying on the floor. Donna sat up and I crouched beside her, holding her arm tightly. She waved me aside, crawling forward to look more closely at the hand. My eyes were drawn to it as well and, without warning, the hand began to twitch and grow a body. We both gasped and recoiled slightly.

"_It's you!_" Donna gasped as the Doctor appeared in front of us. My mouth dropped open.

"_Oh yes!_" He replied with a smirk.

"_You're naked!_" She continued, averting her gaze. I covered my face with my hand, turning away as I realised she was right.

"Oh god… my eyes…" I muttered. "That's it… I'm officially scarred now."

"_Oh yes…_"

"Well do you want to put some clothes on?" Donna suggested sarcastically turning around as well.

"Actually… can you stop us dying first?" I contradicted her. Skirting around the other side of the console, so I wouldn't have to look at him, I headed towards the corridor to the rest of the TARDIS. "I'll fetch you some clothes."

When I returned with another of the Doctor's suits – a blue one – I threw it at him and Donna and I averted our gaze to allow him to cover himself up. Then he started making repairs to the console room. I followed suit, after leading Donna to sit on the seat and recover from the shock. Within no time the console room was looking like its old self.

"_All repaired, lovely!_" The Doctor announced, polishing one of the lights in the wall over the doors and jumping down to face us. "_Shhh! No one knows we're here… gotta keep quiet. Silent running; like on submarines when they can't even drop a spanner. Don't drop a spanner. I like blue… what do you think?_"

"Get a grip." I growled between my teeth, shaking my head and turning my attention to the scanner monitor and leaving Donna to deal with the new Doctor. She looked totally bewildered.

"_You are BONKERS!_" She exclaimed, summing up the situation rather well. I grinned slightly, examining the readings carefully. The new Doctor seemed to have parked us in the Vortex out of the way of danger for a while. But we needed to get back to the Crucible.

"_Why?_" He demanded in confusion. "_What's wrong with blue?_"

I tuned out their conversation, only taking in a few words and phrases, '_worms_'… '_unique_'… '_I love that hand_'… '_instantaneous biological metacrisis_' … '_oi watch it spaceman_'… '_oi watch it Earthgirl_'. The last two phrases made me giggle slightly, despite the situation. I carried on examining the screen until something the new Doctor said caught my attention.

"_One heart… I've got one heart!_" He announced, horrified. "_This body has got only one heart!_"

"_What?_" Donna asked, reaching forward and putting her hand on his chest as I stuck my head round the console to stare at him.

"What?" I echoed, slightly horrified.

"_Like you're human?_" Donna asked, confused. He pulled a face. As did I.

"_Oh… that's disgusting!_"

"_OI!_" She snapped, retracting her hand quickly and glaring at him.

"_Oi!_" He repeated.

Donna jumped and I could see her slapping hand readying itself for action. "_Stop it!_"

"So you're human?" I asked, screwing up my face. That wasn't a particularly reassuring thought.

"_No… wait… I'm part Time Lord, part human._" He announced. We all looked at each other, varying expressions of disgust and confusion on our faces. "_Well isn't that wizard…_" He stopped, regaining his thoughts, before whirling back towards the console. "Evie… go to the kitchen and get me a whisk, wire and those metal scissors." The Doctor commanded quickly, glancing up at me.

Not knowing why he wanted those things, I obeyed nevertheless not wanting to risk him questioning who I was and what I was doing there. The fact that he knew my name didn't even cross my mind; Donna must have told him. In the kitchen, I hastily scrabbled around in the cupboards and drawers, not caring about leaving them tidy. When I'd gathered up the items, I returned to the room and put the items down on the seat beside the console. Neither the Doctor nor Donna had noticed me returning.

Donna took a deep breath, her voice trembling. My eyebrows furrowed, wondering what he'd done to upset her so much. "_Doctor… stop it!_"

"_But look at what you did._" He continued gently. "_No… it's more than that. It's like… we were always heading for this. You came to the TARDIS. Then you found me again… your Granddad… your car. Donna, your car! You parked your car right where the TARDIS was gonna land; that's not coincidence! OH! We've been blind. Something's been drawing us together for such a long time._"

She looked terrified. "_But… you're talking like destiny. There's no such thing… is there?_"

"_It's still not finished… like… the pattern's not complete… the strands are still drawing together. But heading for what?_"

There was a moment of silence. Taking the opportunity, I stepped forwards.

"Doctor… I found the things. They're here." I told him, pointing towards the chair.

He leapt towards them, starting to work at once. Donna and I watched in silence. She still had tears in her eyes as she contemplated what he'd said. Slipping my hand into hers, I squeezed it and she squeezed back. It just felt completely natural and neither of us questioned it.

"Who are you?" She muttered, not wanting to distract the Doctor from whatever he was doing.

"I told you… I'm Evie." I said with a small smile.

"But WHO are you? How did you get here? Jenny knows you… and Jack. How?" She pressed me, turning to search my face for answers. "There's something about you… as though I know you so well… but I just can't…"

"You will know me." I told her slowly. "Very, very well… but in the future. I can't tell you anything more… just being here could throw the whole of our futures into jeopardy."

"So why did you come?"

I laughed softly, shaking my head. "I can't stop myself… any hint of adventure or danger…"

Donna sent me a funny look. "You're not related to the Doctor, are you?"


	44. End of the Line 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: End of the Line**

The smile dropped from my face and I looked away. The future Donna could tell when I was lying a mile off. I didn't want to find out if this version could do the same.

"Need any help, mutant?" I asked, moving towards the new Doctor.

He raised an eyebrow and then grinned and started gabbling away about the device he was building and giving me instructions. I pointedly avoided looking at Donna as I did as he asked, moving round her and looking anywhere but at her face.

She caught my arm, forcing me to look at her. Her eyes were wide. "You are, aren't you?"

Again I didn't respond, but the small smirk that twitched at the corners of her mouth assured me that she had come to her own conclusion anyway. I glanced over her shoulder and saw the Doctor glaring at the scanner screen.

"Doctor?" I asked, moving towards him.

"_What was it?_" Donna asked; her eyes on the screen as well. "_Doctor… what did it do?_"

He didn't answer for a moment, his complete attention focused on the images in front of him. Rather than telling us anything, he jumped back into action, redoubling his efforts on the device he was building. Ripping up one of the grates in the floor, he dived down and pulled several objects out, thrusting them at Donna and me.

"So? What is this thing?" Donna demanded, taking the strange object he had handed her and following him to the scanner.

"_It's our only hope!_" He told her firmly. I handed over the wiring I'd been working on and he checked it quickly, sliding it into the device in his hands. "_A Z-Neutrino biological inversion catalyser._"

"Genius!" I murmured, quickly working through his train of thought in my head. "That's bloody genius!"

"_Yeah, Earth girl, remember…_" Donna pointed out, glancing between us.

"_Davros said he built those Daleks out of himself._" The Doctor explained quickly, not stopping what he was doing. "_His genetic code runs through the entire race. If I can use this to lock the Crucible's transmission onto Davros himself…_"

"… _it destroys the Daleks!_" Donna finished eagerly.

"Everything with the same genetic code!" I agreed grinning. "Boom!"

"_Biggest backfire in history!_"

"What are we waiting for?" I asked excitedly. "Let's get this show on the road!"

"Oi, chill your boots." Donna demanded. "Doctor… is it safe?"

He glanced between us before he nodded. Then he shot me a look and a little wink. Apparently he wasn't as sure as he was making out to Donna. I took a deep breath and nodded in return, smiling.

"Let's go, then." I said softly.

"_Ready? Maximum power!_" He shouted, suddenly enthusiastic.

Donna grinned at me and I grabbed her hand, squeezing it in excitement. The Doctor pulled on the starting lever, sending us hurtling towards the Dalek Crucible once more. We held on as the TARDIS shifted around and jerked occasionally. The familiar wheezing sound filled our ears as we started to materialise.

Taking a deep breath, the Doctor fixed us with a determined stare and we both nodded, composing ourselves.

"OK?" He asked. Unable to speak, we both nodded once more and followed as he started towards the doors. The Doctor was the first out, his device raised threateningly in his hand and his eyes fixed ahead of him.

"_Brilliant!_" I heard Jack say from outside and let out a sigh of relief. At least my Godfather was still alive. I crossed the index and middle fingers on my right hand as the Doctor leapt out of the police box and I followed close behind him.

"Evie!" Jenny's voice rang out clearly sending relief shooting through me. I grinned at her, hesitating beside the TARDIS.

"Alright, sis? You OK?" I asked casually, as though nothing more exciting was going on than a day at the seaside. Then my words sank in and I instantly regretted them. Everyone, except the Doctor, was glancing between us looking totally bewildered.

"_Don't!_" The Doctor, the real Doctor, shouted.

I glanced over to where the second Doctor was racing towards the strange looking creature in some kind of chair just in time to see a flash of electricity shooting out of the creature's finger and hitting him square in the chest.

"No!" I yelled as he dropped the device and hit the ground. I didn't even hear the other voices as I ran to his side.

Jenny screamed and I looked up just in time to see another bolt of light heading towards me. I tried to throw myself out of its way, but the beam hit me, sending sparks throughout my body. I felt my hearts struggling, slowing down as the charge passed through them, and I stumbled. Gasping loudly, but ignoring the pain, I continued to scramble towards the device desperately. Slightly dazed from the impact, I was unable to dodge the second beam that came straight at me.

It hit me dead in the chest, sending a ripple of pain through my entire body. My nerves tingled as the current rushed through them and I grasped my chest, one hand above each of my hearts. It felt like they were stopping… or at least slowing down. The urge to close my eyes overwhelmed me for a moment and I crumpled.

I must have blacked out for a couple of minutes, because when I opened my eyes again I was in some kind of holding cell and Jenny was sobbing uncontrollably. She gasped as I pulled myself into a seated position. I winced when my hearts leapt back into their normal rhythm, thumping my chest painfully to give them an extra boost.

"_DOCTOR!_" Donna shrieked, appearing from the TARDIS and heading towards us. She snatched up the device and stared at it. "_I've got it! But I don't know what to do!_"

I cried out as a bolt of electricity hit Donna, throwing her clean off her feet and hurling her backwards through the air.

"_Donna!_" The Doctor shouted as she hit the central column where the Crucible's controls were and slumped to the ground. I could see her lying in a heap and squeezed my eyes closed in horror. "_Donna? You alright Donna?_"

"_Destroy the weapon!_" The creature ordered and the device exploded in a shower of sparks. I thumped the ground, still not feeling strong enough to climb to my feet. Out of the corner of my eye I saw movement and had to work hard to keep my face impassive as Donna stared at me, wide-eyed. A familiar gold mist was swirling around her face, most obviously around her eyes. My mouth twitched involuntarily into a smirk, suddenly guessing what had really happened between her and the hand. "_I was wrong about your warriors, Doctor. They are pathetic!_"

"_How comes there are two of you?_" Rose demanded, clearly she didn't remember me which I was grateful for. "And who's that?"

"_Human biological metacrisis._" The second Doctor said simply; although his answer evidently didn't help at all.

"And I'm Evie. Hi…" I said from my seat on the ground. "Shouldn't even be here… that was a bad mistake…"

"_Never mind that._" The real Doctor snapped. "_Now we've got no way of stopping the Reality bomb._"

I smirked. "I wouldn't be too sure about that…" I muttered.

"_Detonation in 20 rels…_" The red Dalek said, drowning out my words. "_Nineteen…_"

"_Stand witness, Time Lord._" The creature in the chair said. He activated a screen, showing all the planets they'd taken and arranged. "_Stand witness humans. Your strategies have failed. Your weapons are useless. And… oh… the end of the universe has come!_"

The Dalek was still counting down. Everyone's eyes were fixed on the hologram screen, except mine. My eyes were fixed on the red-headed woman who was now crouching out of sight. She glanced quickly at me and I smirked and nodded. Slowly Donna got to her feet, looking a little nervous. With one final look at me, causing me to nod my head vigorously to encourage her onwards, she grinned and pressed down on one of the levers on the panel in front of her.

Everything went dead and a strange bleeping noise started up. I couldn't help a laugh escaping from my lips as she shot me a wink. The others gazed around in complete confusion, trying to work out what was going on and why I was laughing like a lunatic.

"_And… closing all Z-Neutrino relay loops using an internalised synchronous back-feed reversal loop._" Donna said with a smirk, pressing a button confidently. "_That button there!_"

Jenny beamed at me as the Daleks went into the closest thing to panic I'd ever seen a Dalek do. I shot her a wink, still laughing. Slightly shakily I got to my feed, preparing myself to help when the holding cells were deactivated.

"_Donna you can't even change a plug!_" The Doctor argued.

She grinned. "_D'you wanna bet, Time Boy?_"

"_You'll suffer for this!_" The creature threatened. Donna frowned at him slightly and raised one of the levers in front of her. The creature's attempt to zap her again ended up with the beam of electricity retreating up his arm and getting him instead. He shrieked, looking at his hand in confusion.

"_Ooh! Bio-electric dampening field with a retrogressive arc inversion._" Donna said casually.

"_Exterminate her!_" The creature ordered in fury.

Completely unfazed, Donna tapped away at the levers as the Daleks moved towards her sounding their famous cry of '_Exterminate_'. She smirked as their weapon sticks dropped uselessly and raised her eyebrows.

"_Weapons non-functional!_" They cried in panic.

"_Whoa! Macrotransmission of a K-filter wavelength blocking Dalek weaponry in a self-replicating energy blindfold matrix?_" She said, making me blink slightly at the amount of technical words she'd used and the sheer speed with which she'd said them.

"_How did you work that out? You're…_"

"_Time Lord… part Time Lord._" The second Doctor said, a hint of pride in his voice.

Donna grinned happily. "_Part human! Oh, yes! That was a two-way biological metacrisis. Half Doctor, Half Donna._"

"_The Doctor Donna…_" The Doctor breathed, staring at her open-mouthed. "_Just like the Ood said, remember? They saw it coming! The Doctor Donna._"

"Don't wanna break up the moment," I said raising my hands, "but if you let us out of these cells we can help."

"Right…" Donna said, jumping slightly. "_Holding cells deactivated. Unseal the vault._"

The invisible cells around us melted away and in a second I'd leapt towards her, standing by her side. Then I smirked and stood backwards.

"I think you've got this." I said with a grin.

Jenny launched herself at me, throwing her arms around my neck. I hugged her back just as tightly and we both began talking excitedly at exactly the same time, telling each other what we'd done. She jabbed at the bloodstain on my top and started trying to pull down the neckline to see the mark underneath. I slapped her hands away, rolling my eyes.

Donna sighed, her maternal instincts kicking in again. "Not now, girls. We'll have a cup of tea and a chat later. Right now we've got work to do, right?"

"Sorry…" We muttered together, feeling suitably chastised. She grinned and winked.

Then she turned her attention to the Doctors. "_Well, don't just stand there you skinny boys in suits! Get to work!_"


	45. End of the Line 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: End of the Line**

Donna was so calm. She started spinning the Daleks round in circles, controlling them with a turn of a small wheel and the flick of a switch. Giggling, Jenny and I started pushing the Daleks out of the way, watching them spin off, flailing and screeching most uncharacteristically.

The two Doctors and Donna were standing at the controls and, if I hadn't known better I'd have thought that they were just chatting.

"_Come on then boys, we've got 27 planets to send home._" Donna said with a grin. "_Activate Magnatron!_"

I laughed, watching the Doctor's face as he took orders from the woman. At first he looked as though he didn't like it at all. Then he shrugged, grinned and did as he was told.

"_Stop this at once!_" The creature in charge demanded, heading for the controls. I leapt in front of him, pushing hard with my foot and sending him careering backwards.

Jack emerged from the TARDIS with two large guns in his hands, one of which he threw to Mickey, calling out his name as he did so. I glanced around realising that I recognised all of the faces in the room. I was just worried about which of them recognised me.

"_You will desist!_" The creature ordered again, regaining control and heading towards the controls once more.

"_Just stay where you are, mister!_" Mickey ordered, aiming the large gun at him. I was incredibly impressed with the weapon and wondered whether anyone would notice if I borrowed it when I left.

Then we leapt into action, clearing all of the remaining Daleks out of the way. Without their weapons they were completely powerless to do anything about it. We pushed them out of the way easily while they flailed and screeched.

"What are you doing here?" Jack demanded as I passed him. I shrugged, smiled innocently and moved away to kick a Dalek out of the room. I glanced up to see Jenny hugging Martha and laughing happily. I'd forgotten that the woman had been there when Jenny was created.

"How's it going?" I asked, leaning casually against the controls beside Donna. She grinned at me.

"Sending them back now!" She said. "Four down, twenty three to go!"

She and the Doctors started to reel off names as they sent the planets back home and I grinned, caught up in the excitement of it all. Maybe I shouldn't have been there, but it was too good a moment to wish that I wasn't there.

"_Is anyone gonna tell us what's going on?_" Rose asked, her mother at her side looking confused.

"_He poured all his regeneration energy into his spare hand._" Donna said, pointing to the Doctor. "_I touched the hand, he grew out of that,_" she continued pointing at the second Doctor, "_but that fed back into me. But it just stayed dormant in my head 'til the synapses got that little extra spark, kicking them into life. Thank you Davros!_" She grinned. "_Part human, part Time Lord. And I got the best bit of the Doctor… I got his mind._"

"I just got his hair colour…" I muttered to Jenny, who stifled a giggle.

Sarah Jane spoke next, ignoring us pointedly. "_So there's three of you?_"

"_Three Doctors?_" Rose added.

"Five Time Lords… technically!" Jenny mouthed at me, silently correcting the blonde. I smirked.

Jack raised his eyebrows. "_I can't tell you what I'm thinking right now._"

"Please don't." I requested, shooting him a look. "I can guess though!"

He chuckled and put an arm loosely around my shoulders.

"_You're so unique the timelines were converging on you._" The Doctor told Donna. "_A human being with a Time Lord brain._"

The creature in the chair, Davros, had obviously had enough of story time and turned to face the pink, squid like being behind him. "_But you promised me, Dalek Caan! Why did you not foresee this?_"

Dalek Cann just laughed, not giving any sort of answer.

Instead the Doctor spoke up. "_Oh… I think he did. Something's been manipulating the timelines for ages. Getting Donna Noble to the right place at the right time._"

"_This would always have happened. I only helped, Doctor._" Dalek Caan assured him. "Although I did not foresee the presence of your young."

"I think he means us, sis…" Jenny whispered in my ear. I nodded without speaking, slightly alarmed. I could feel several pairs of eyes boring into the back of my head. I desperately hoped that the comment would be glossed over.

"_You betrayed the Daleks!_" Davros accused, pointing at Dalek Caan.

"_I saw the Daleks… what we have done throughout time and space. I saw the truth of us, Creator, and I decreed no more._"

"I think we got away with that one." I muttered under my breath to Jenny after a quick glance over my shoulder showed that everyone's attention was fixed on the Dalek. She nodded and smiled weakly.

"_Heads up!_" Jack shouted, aiming his gun at the red Dalek who was descending into the vault.

"_Davros, you have betrayed us!_" It said in its monotonous voice.

"_It was Dalek Caan!_" The creator argued.

Apparently this wasn't a good enough answer for the Dalek. "_The vault will be purged. You will all be exterminated!_" It shot at the control panel, causing sparks to shoot from it and sending the Doctor sprawling backwards slightly.

"_Like I was saying, feel this!_" Jack barked, shooting the Dalek with his gun and blowing its head off. I cheered loudly, then pulled a face of embarrassment as everyone stared at me.

The Doctor was back on his feet, squatting in front of the controls and wafting the smoke away. "_Ohhh! We've lost the Magnatron! And there's only one planet left!_" He laughed exasperatedly. "_Guess which one? But we can use the TARDIS._"

"Earth?" Jenny and I muttered to each other at precisely the same moment, breaking into identical grins. The Doctor sprinted through the doors as the second Doctor fiddled with the controls.

"_Holding Earth's stability… maintaining atmospheric shell…_" He said quickly to no one in particular.

"_The prophecy must complete!_" Dalek Caan said.

"_Don't listen to him!_" Davros ordered.

The small pink creature continued regardless. "_I have seen the end of everything Dalek and you must make it happen Doctor._"

We all turned slowly to look at the second Doctor, who's gaze was fixed on Dalek Caan. "_He's right… 'cos with or without a Reality Bomb this Dalek Empire is big enough to slaughter the cosmos. They've got to be stopped._"

"_Just wait for the Doctor…_" Donna urged him gently. The second Doctor looked at her for a moment.

"_I am the Doctor._" He told her fiercely. "_Maximising Dalekanium power feeds. Blasting them back._"

All around us things started to shake violently. Loud explosions could be heard outside the vault. Jenny grabbed my hand nervously and I was quite glad she had done. The Daleks in the vault started to explode, their heads blasting off and fire ripping through them. I could only guess that the same thing was happening to every Dalek in existence.

"Dad's gonna go spare." I muttered under my breath.

"He really is, isn't he?" She replied anxiously.

He appeared seconds later, fury written all over his face. "_What have you done?_" He demanded.

"_Fulfilling the prophecy._" His double answered calmly, staring him out.

The vault began to collapse around us and we took cover where we could. Immediately Jenny moved towards Donna, whose mere presence made her feel safe, dragging me with her.

"_D'you know what you've done?_" The Doctor demanded of his duplicate. "_Now get in the TARDIS! Everyone!_"

Donna went first, dragging Jenny and me with her. The second Doctor called out our names as a sort of register to make sure we were all there as we went. Inside we crowded around the console waiting for the Doctor to come inside. Jenny and I were receiving curious looks, especially me, although no one said anything.

"_And, off we go!_" The Doctor shouted, racing inside and straight to the controls.

He pulled down the starting lever and, as the TARDIS began jolting alarmingly I hit the stabilisers and moved the filter guards up into place without thinking. The Doctor looked at me curiously, leaning over to see what I'd done. Blushing slightly, I stepped away from the console trying to avoid the inevitable awkward questions that would be sent my way.

"We've got to go, Jen." I hissed quickly, glancing at my Vortex Manipulator to check it was powered up once more. "Before they start asking questions and I do more damage than I already have."

"We can't leave yet!" She argued, shaking her head. "We can't just vanish at a moment like this."

"You're not going anywhere." Jack hissed in my ear, pressing a button and disabling the device on my wrist. "Not until you've explained yourself." I grimaced.

"_But what about the Earth?_" Sarah Jane asked. "_It's stuck in the wrong part of space._"

"_I'm on it!_" The Doctor announced, looking away from me to stare at the scanner screen. "_Torchwood Hub, this is the Doctor. Are you receiving me?_"

"_Loud and clear!_" A familiar voice answered. I scooted round slightly to stand just behind the Doctor's shoulder and gave Gwen and Ianto a little wave. Their mouths dropped open. "Evie? _Is Jack there?_"

The Doctor turned and frowned at me, so I moved away again quickly, putting Jenny and Donna between us. Jack rolled his eyes at me. "_Can't get rid of him._" He muttered, answering her question. "_Jack… what's her name?_"

"_Gwen Cooper._"

"_Tell me, Gwen Cooper, are you from an old Cardiff family?_"

"_Yes… all the way back to the 1800's._"

"_Ahh…_" He said with a grin. "_Thought so. Spacial genetic multiplicity. Ah… yeah. It's a funny old world._" Evidently this only meant something to the Doctor and Rose, as everyone else looked totally bemused. "_Now, Torchwood, I want you to open up that Rift Manipulator and send all the power to me._"

"_Doing it now, sir._" Ianto said with his usual polite formality.

"_What's that for?_"

"_It's a tow rope._" The Doctor answered Martha hastily. "_Sarah… what was your son's name?_"

"_Luke… he's called Luke._" She replied quickly. "_And the computer's called Mr Smith._"

"_Calling Luke and Mr Smith!_" The Doctor called agitatedly. "_This is the Doctor. Come on Luke, shake a leg!_"

"_Is Mum there?_" The boy demanded. Sarah Jane grinned, overcome with relief and delight at the sound of his voice. We all beamed at her.

"_Oh, she's fine and dandy!_" The Doctor assured him. "_Now, Mr Smith… I want you to harness the Rift power and loop it round the TARDIS, you got that?_"

"_I regret I will need remote access to TARDIS basecode numerals._" A computerised voice announced.

The Doctor groaned slightly. "_Oh… blimey… that's going to take a while._"

"_No, no, no! Let me!_" Sarah Jane exclaimed, racing towards him to look at the screen. "_K9, out you come!_"

"_Oh, good dog!_" The Doctor cried, beaming. "_K9, give Mr Smith the basecode._"

"_Master… TARDIS basecode now being transferred._" Another robotic voice said. A talking dog? Interesting, I thought with a slight shrug. "_The process is simple._"

"_Now then, you lot._" The Doctor said, moving around the console. He started directing people to certain controls. Donna, Jenny and I all moved backwards out of the way quickly. "_Sarah, hold that down… Mickey, you hold that… 'Cos you know why this TARDIS is always rattling around the place? Rose, that, there. It's designed to have six pilots and I have to do it single-handed!_" I snorted cynically at this, earning myself another suspicious glare. "_Martha, keep that level. But not anymore! Jack? There you go… steady that. Now we can fly this thing… No, Jackie… no. No, not you. Don't touch anything. Just stand back._" She nodded and moved back a little. "_Like it's meant to be flown! We've got the Torchwood Rift looped around the TARDIS by Mr Smith and we're gonna fly planet Earth back home! Right then, off we go!_"


	46. End of the Line 7

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: End of the Line**

The euphoric atmosphere in the TARDIS console room was infectious and even I found myself grinning broadly as Jenny and I leant against one of the coral pillars next to Donna. She and the new Doctor would occasionally wander round the console to make sure everyone was doing what they were supposed to be, before returning to our little corner.

"Maybe we can leave now?" Jenny suggested, motioning towards the smiling faces at the controls. "It's not like we're doing anything to help, is it?"

"We can't, sis." I sighed, pointing to the Vortex Manipulator on my wrist that Jack had disarmed. "Bloody Jack's determined that I'm going to explain myself."

"So… how are we going to get back?" She asked warily.

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm assuming he's going to make us go back to the Hub, where he will question us and then call Mum and Dad to pick us up."

Jenny groaned, leaning against the pillar behind us and crossing her arms. "We're dead, aren't we?"

"Yup…" I agreed, popping the 'p' and crossing my arms as well.

There were a couple of moments of silence while we watched the scene in front of us, small smiles creeping over our faces. I watched Jack carefully as his gaze travelled down Donna's body and back up again, appreciatively. I made a mental note to tell him off later.

"Evie…" Jenny said suddenly, her voice low. "How come Davros' first blast didn't affect you, when it pretty much took out Donna and the second Doctor?"

"Two hearts, init?" I said with a grin. "But it did affect me… pretty badly too. The first hit took out the rhythm and slowed my hearts down enough, that when I got hit for the second time they almost stopped. I had to smack them back into action; although I didn't know if it was going to work… one more hit and... well, anyway, that's why I couldn't stand up for a while; all my energy was going into keeping my hearts going until the rhythm strengthened."

"Are you OK now?" Jenny asked worriedly, laying her hand on my arm and squeezing it tightly. Her eyes were wide and I could see tears starting to form in the corners. I shot her a warm, reassuring smile.

"Fine..." I promised her slowly, hoping that it was the truth. I still felt a bit funny, but I wasn't going to tell her that. She was already freaked out enough as it was.

"Can you regenerate?"

I considered the question for a moment. Then I shrugged. "No idea. But I've changed my mind about siphoning my energy into a hand or something. I do not want to create a metacrisis. Imagine two of me running around?" We both shuddered slightly at the idea. "Can YOU regenerate?"

"I don't know either. I mean, I died and came back… but I have a feeling that that had more to do with the terraforming device than regeneration. But… we've both got two hearts, so you'd assume we could, right?"

I shrugged and nodded. "You'd also assume that we'd have a LOT more sense than we do." I pointed out with a grin. "And that we'd avoid getting ourselves into situations such as this, rather than actively seeking them out and jumping in straight in with both feet."

"Um… one of us DOES have enough sense for that, but she's easily persuaded by her sister to do silly things." Jenny pointed out with a grin. I laughed in agreement.

"Good point, sis!"

There was a slight jolt as Earth returned to its proper position and broke free of the tow rope around it. A loud shout went up in the TARDIS, with everyone cheering and clapping and hugging each other. Jenny and I jumped around, drawn into party spirit by everyone around us. Jack threw his arms around us both, kissing our foreheads, before Donna took his place, squeezing us tightly and squealing in delight.

"We did it!" She screeched, before pushing Sarah Jane aside to hug Jack. Jenny and I burst out laughing at the sight of the older woman spinning away slightly unsteadily as my godfather whirled Donna round in his arms, his hands creeping lower down her back.

"Oh god…" I muttered, moving forward to split them up quickly. Neither of them were impressed by my actions, but I knew Jack and I didn't want Donna getting hurt. "Didn't you want to talk to us?" I asked Jack innocently.

"It could have waited…" He muttered, annoyed. Then he pulled Jenny and I away from the others and fixed us with an unimpressed look. "What are you doing, Evie? Why are you here?"

"We just wanted to know why Donna lost…" I started. Then I stopped quickly, turning to Jenny to help me out.

"Why Donna lost her bracelet." Jenny finished weakly. I looked at her in slight disgust thinking that she'd just come up with the worst cover-story ever. "I mean… we over shot it a little. Then we saw the Daleks and the TARDIS…"

"And hid." I continued. "But then Jen lost her head when the Doctor regenerated and… unhid?" I trailed off, looking for a suitable word. "Anyway, I stayed hidden… then that weird thing happened when the doors locked and I freaked out and Donna saw me. Then the second Doctor appeared and the rest is history. We haven't done anything bad."

"So you've done nothing that will change the future?" Jack pressed, raising an eyebrow. We shook our heads vigorously, trying to look as innocent as possible. "And why does that not reassure me?"

"I dunno, Uncle Jack, but it should." I said with a small, badly concealed grin, trying to act as childlike as possible in the hope that it would stop him being angry with us. He laughed and pulled me into a hug. I grinned and buried my face in his chest.

Behind us there was the sound of someone clearing their throat. "Umm… Evie… can I have a word?"

"'Course…" I said, pulling myself away from Jack and turning to see Sarah Jane looking at me, slightly awkwardly. Jack and Jenny moved away tactfully to re-join the celebrations.

"Thank you for the tip about the warp star." The woman said with a smile.

"The tip?" I asked, completely confused. "What tip?"

Now it was Sarah Jane's turn to look confused. "You came to tell me about this a couple of weeks ago. You said that I should bring the warp star with me, but not use it unless there was no other choice."

Shaking my head again I tried to work out what she was talking about. Then it hit me. "I've done it again, Auntie Sarah, haven't I?" She looked blank. "I've altered my timeline."

"You did mention something about meeting people before you've met them and something or other." Sarah Jane confided with a grin.

"You haven't told anyone who I am, have you?" I asked worriedly.

"The Doctor's daughter." She said, louder than necessary. Quickly I shushed her. She smiled and shook her head, squeezing my arm. "Sorry… I haven't told anyone, don't worry."

"Thank you… because he hasn't even met me yet; he isn't supposed to for a while on his timeline." I said with a sigh.

"Your secret's safe with me." Sarah Jane promised.

I smiled and hugged her, before she moved away as the TARDIS touched down for the first time. There were mass goodbyes and then the Doctor and Sarah Jane walked outside. I shot Jenny a nod and we headed towards the doors.

"Oi!" Donna called, making us turn. "Where are you two going?"

"Home." Jenny said simply, smiling.

"Not without a hug you don't!" Donna said with a smile. She squeezed Jenny tightly, lifting her off her feet.

Jenny giggled, hugging her tightly. "Bye, Mum." She said. Then her eyes widened as she realised what she'd said. Quickly, she attempted to backtrack. "Sorry… I just… well… you're the closest thing I've got to a Mum and I –"

"It's alright, you donut!" Donna laughed. "You can call me Mum if you want to! In fact, I'd love it." Then she turned to me. "Come here, mystery girl."

I grinned and giggled, hugging her back and sighing slightly. I closed my eyes, holding her tight and breathing in the familiar scent of her shampoo and perfume. It was just as comforting as Mum's scent, or the Doctors. I really hoped that Jenny and I hadn't changed anything important. Then I pulled myself away from Donna, fixing a calm expression on my face.

"Catch you later, ginger." I said with a grin.

She laughed and whirled away excitedly to re-join the others. I waved quickly at Jack and then Jenny and I slipped through the doors. The Doctor had his back to us, still talking to Sarah Jane. She smiled and I winked at her as we headed away from the blue box quickly.

"Where d'you fancy going, then?" I asked Jenny when we were far enough away. "Shall we go and visit Donna?"

"Shouldn't we go home first?"

"I'd rather put off the inevitable for as long as possible, thanks." I told her. She looked slightly confused, so I elaborated. "Dad IS going to remember us being here and he IS going to kill us; probably slowly. And that isn't even taking into account what Mum will do."

Jenny laughed and slipped her hand in mine. "Let's go then… Donna's house." Then she stopped. "We never did find out why Donna lost her memories."

"Think about it, sis. The metacrisis; a Time Lord consciousness in a human mind? That can't be good can it?" I said slowly, twisting my mouth slightly and displaying my sadness. Jenny looked as though she was going to cry. "But hey, she's got it all back now, right?"

She beamed. "Right… let's go and visit my Mum."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie rang the doorbell of Donna's house and the girls stood back, waiting for someone to answer it. The car wasn't on the drive, so either Donna or Sylvia were out. After a couple of moments a dark shape appeared behind the frosted glass and the door opened.<strong>_

"_**Mum!" Jenny squealed, hugging her. Donna laughed, hugging her back, before hugging the brunette. Then she narrowed her eyes, taking in their appearances.**_

"_**I know where you've just been." She announced, looking them up and down. "You've just been to the Dalek Crucible, haven't you?" Immediately, guilt passed over their faces and the red-head sighed and shook her head. "You realise how much trouble you're in, don't you?"**_

"_**I know…" Evie muttered pulling a face. "Dad is going to murder us."**_

"_**Not from him…" Donna corrected her, raising an eyebrow. "You called me ginger!"**_

_**The young woman laughed and pushed past her into the house. "Is Gramps here?" She demanded, leaving Jenny and Donna to follow her inside.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN:**_

_**1945: As though I'd leave it at the last chapter! I love giving Evie a happy ending when I can ;)**_

_**Misery Loves Sarah: I know! I really love the end of that episode as well! Even the music makes me happy! And Jack trying to be all responsible... writing that part made me smile! He's just a great big pushover really!**_

_**Shifuni: Thanks lovely :) Glad you enjoyed it!**_

_**Hi guys! I hope you liked this LONG multi-chapter part and that you didn't think it was TOO long? I have two more chapters ready to be uploaded, some others planned out ready to be written and some prompts that need to be thought about. BUT I have lots of work for uni and I'm being forced to be sociable by my housemates. I really am doing my best to keep updating as regularly as possible, so PLEASE bear with me :)**_

_**Also, keep a look out for another Evie story that I've started working out which (for now at least) is called '**Nightmares**' and will be set during '**The God Complex**'. HOPEFULLY I'll be able to get some of it written soon - I've done one chapter so far - but like I said I'm kinda busy at the moment!**_

_**I really hope you're still enjoying this and I'm sending hugs to everyone who's read, favourited, subscribed, reviewed, etc. It means so much! :) Thank you guys! xxx**_


	47. I Don't Hate You Really

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: I Don't Hate You Really**

Age: 16

Location: Kalahoon, Ibstaff Network

Date: 9631.53

* * *

><p>"What d'you fancy doing then, sweetie?" Mum asked with a bright smile. The Doctor had dropped us off on Kalahoon – commonly known as the Spa Planet – for a mother-daughter day. "It's not every day your baby turns sixteen!"<p>

I rolled my eyes, irrationally annoyed at her as usual. Everything she did or said lately made me angry.

"Come on, honey." She continued doing her best to stay calm, although I could see the frustration in her eyes. "We're on a planet that's a giant Spa and the Doctor's left us for the whole day. What should we do first?"

Grudgingly, I smiled as she wrapped an arm around my shoulders and looked hard into my eyes. I knew that she hadn't done anything to deserve my bad mood towards her, but that didn't make it any easier to shift. The Doctor couldn't stand the tense atmosphere between us and the question of whether World War Twelve was about to break out around him. He had announced – in a rather hurried way which convinced me that it was a spur of the moment decision – that he was taking Mum and me to Kalahoon as a treat for my birthday, while he visited the intergalactic scrap yard for new parts for the TARDIS.

"What about a massage?" I suggested weakly as we walked towards the large steel and glass building.

"Good idea." She agreed with a nod. "Maybe it'll get rid of some of your tension?"

"Tension? What tension?" I demanded, glaring at her ferociously. "I'm not tense."

She smiled benignly. "If you say so, sweetie."

I growled and said nothing else as she checked us in at reception. Many different species were in the large, white room. They were milling around in fluffy dressing gowns, talking in quiet voices and looking totally relaxed. Several Silurians stood in a group to my left discussing the wonders of the skol-weed wrap one had just tried. Further away, a small red humanoid – presumably a Zocci – was describing the Haachili massage he'd just recieved to the taller four-legged alien beside him.

"That sounds nice…" Mum whispered to me approvingly as she took our complimentary dressing gowns and locker keys from the receptionist. "A Haachili massage? I went to Haachili once or twice… fantastic chocolate!"

I couldn't suppress a grin – trust her to remember what their confectionary was like. Then I nodded and followed her into the changing rooms. We went into small, cylindrical cubicals where we were thoroughly and systematically sprayed with disinfectant and a pretty standard anti-bacterial solution. Dressing quickly in my bikini and pulling on the dressing gown over the top, I tied the best as I walked out of the cubical which was starting to make me feel claustrophobic. Mum was already pushing her belongings into the locker she'd been assigned. I copied her hastily, before she turned with a smile and headed out of the changing room and along the corridor in the direction of the massage rooms – as indicated by the large electronic boards on the walls.

As we lay side by side, face down, on the massage tables, Mum turned her head to look at me. I opened one eye and arched an eyebrow at her questioningly. For a couple of moments she didn't speak but just watched me carefully. Then she sighed.

"I know I'm a rubbish mother." She said suddenly, making me turn my head sharply to look at her.

"What?"

"I know it… I can't resist an adventure. I've never thought twice about dumping you on your Grandparents or Jack or Donna so that I can go off with the Doctor and have some fun." She continued, ignoring my outburst. "And when I'm off on an adventure I don't think twice about the fact that I've left you behind."

"Well that ain't true…" I muttered, remembering all the presents that I'd been brought back from various trips that Mum and the Doctor had been on without me.

"But I'm just not one of those stay-at-home-bake-cakes-and-knit-cardigans mothers." She carried on, still not acknowledging that I'd spoken. "It's no wonder that you're always so angry with me. I'd be angry with me too if I was you. I don't blame you in the slightest for hating me becau–"

"I DO NOT HATE YOU!" I exclaimed loudly, making everyone in the room jump. "I don't hate you… not really."

With a quick glance at Mum, the two Haachilians who'd been massaging our backs left the room hurriedly pulling the door closed with a loud click. Slightly nervous of each other, Mum and I both sat up, pulling our dressing gowns back on over our swimming costumes and faced each other. The narrow gap between the two massage tables seemed ridiculously small now.

"You don't?" She asked quietly, as though she expected me to change my mind and say that I did. I just shook my head and looked down at my clasped hands.

"Nope… I'm just… a teenager. Everything is your fault whether it's logical or rational or not. I mean, I whacked my head on the shelf in the shower this morning and my immediate thought was 'that's Mum's fault'… it doesn't actually mean anything." I promised her with a small shrug. "Don't you remember needing to blame everyone else for everything when you were younger?"

Mum shrugged as well, not meeting my eyes. "I didn't exactly have anyone else TO blame, did I?"

"Oh… yeah…" I'd forgotten about her childhood. It hadn't exactly been 'normal'. Then again, neither was mine – although I had had far more stability than she had. "I'll try not to be such a cow to you…"

"You're n– OK, yes; you are a cow to me most of the time." Mum agreed, giggling softly.

There was no point her even trying to deny what we both knew was the truth. I started giggling as well, slipping off my own padded table and moving to sit beside her. She slipped an arm around me as I snuggled into her shoulder, wedging my head into the curve of her neck and not even bothered that a couple of her golden curls were tickling my nose. I hugged her back tightly as she pressed a kiss to my head, rocking me gently.

"I really don't hate you, you know." I repeated, determined to make sure she knew that fact. "I just get angry and frustrated with the universe and I know that by shouting at you or telling you that I hate you makes you hurt as much as me and that stops me feeling quite so alone."

"You're never alone, sweetie." Mum said anxiously, raising my face by putting a finger under my chin and tilting it towards her. "You've got me and the Doctor and your Grandparents and Jack and Donna and her family and –"

"I know that. I told you it was irrational." I said with a smile. "I have the best family in the universe, don't I?"

Mum laughed and slipped off the table, squeezing my hand tightly and refusing to let go. "Too right! Now, let's go and get changed and make the Doctor pick us up… we're not really the pampering types, are we?"

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Were you not enjoying yourselves?" The Doctor asked slightly surprised and not a little hurt that his 'treat' had obviously not gone down as well as he'd hoped.<strong>_

"_**Of course we were, sweetie." River assured him, wrapping her arms around his neck. He smiled, slightly unsurely but wrapped his own arms around her waist, holding her tight to him.**_

"_**Eurgh…" Evie groaned, stalking towards the corridor that led to the rest of the TARDIS rooms. "I'm going to my room before I throw up. On second thoughts, you two should get a room before I murder you both. I know how to do it, you know… I could get rid of you both and no one would ever suspect me."**_

_**When she had stamped away and they heard the unmistakable sound of a door slamming in the distance, the Doctor turned hopelessly to River, who was shaking with silent laughter at her daughter's empty threat. **_

"_**Didn't my plan work then?" He asked, looking a little pathetic. "I was hoping that some mother-daughter bonding would sort things out?"**_

_**River grinned, tightening her grip around his neck and moving closer. "Oh… it worked fine, my love, just fine."**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__**This chapter was written in response to 1945's prompt wanting to see, '**_River and Evie have a daughter and mother bonding day_**'**__**. I hope this isn't TOO angsty, doll :)**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;)**_


	48. Innuendos

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Innuendos**

Age: 24

Location: Chiswick, England, Earth

Date: March 2013

* * *

><p><em><strong>Jack strode up the path towards his front door, moving almost before he had completely materialised on the pavement. After he day he'd had, and the arrival of his teenager Goddaughter in the Torchwood Hub, he needed to get home to his family.<strong>_

_**With a deep sigh, he opened the front door and went inside, instantly relaxing as the familiar scents, sights and sounds of home filled his senses. Hearing the television in the living room, he went quickly along the hallway and headed straight for there.**_

"_**Donna?" He called happily. "I'm home. You won't guess who I've just left at the Hub with Gwen. I reckon Evie must have had another row with River because she just turned up out of the blue again. I had to make up an excuse why she couldn't stay with –" **_

_**He broke off, staring at the two female faces looking at him. Donna seemed to be losing the battle to keep her face under control and not burst out laughing. Evie, however, looked thoroughly unimpressed.**_

* * *

><p>"You're late." Donna announced as she opened the front door and turned her back on me, heading along the hallway to the kitchen.<p>

"How can I be late?" I demanded closing the front door with a roll of my eyes and hanging my jacket on one of the pegs on the wall. "You didn't even know I was coming! You're just hormonal."

The red-head turned back to face me, raising an eyebrow and shooting me a warning look. Her slightly rounded, pregnant stomach and the fact that she was glaring at me with her hands on her hips instantly made me back track.

"Did I say hormonal? No… I didn't mean hormonal. Obviously you're not hormonal. Sorry… I'm late!" I apologised quickly. Apparently satisfied, Donna's face relaxed and she smiled.

"I just put Zoe to bed. Jack should be home soon. Have you eaten?"

Shaking my head, I gratefully accepted the offer of dinner and we moved into the living room, where I quickly consumed the pasta she had given me and Donna became engrossed in the soap she was watching on the television. Every now and then she'd throw a comment or opinion my way – not at all bothered that I had no idea what was happening on screen.

After a while we heard the front door open and Jack came into the house. I snuck a glance at Donna and saw at once that her eyes were sparkling just at the sound of his voice. It was sweet, but slightly nauseating at the same time, I decided. I don't really do romance – in films or in reality.

"You won't guess who I've just left at the Hub with Gwen. I reckon Evie must have had another row with River because she just turned up out of the blue again." He said from the hallway, a slight laugh in his voice.

I arched an eyebrow at his words, trying to work out what he was talking about. Evidently a different version of me was currently in Cardiff with Gwen – but was it an older version or a younger one?

Donna shot me a glance, a smile twitching over her lips as she took in my expression. I just stared back, listening to Jack's next words. His voice was louder now; apparently he was just outside the living room door. I uncurled my legs from underneath me and sat upright on the sofa beside Donna, my arms folded over my chest and my eyes fixed on the door.

"I had to make up an excuse why she couldn't stay with –" Jack said, breaking off abruptly, his eyes widening as he stared at me.

My mind was whirring as I tried to make relevant connections hastily. Now I thought about it I vaguely remembered visiting the Hub, Jack acting completely weird and vanishing – leaving me to help Gwen on a mission and stay at her flat.

"Hang on… so when I asked Gwen if you had a new boyfriend or girlfriend, did she know about you and Donna? Is that why she was so cagey about it? Why didn't you just tell me?" I asked in confusion. "If I'd known I wouldn't have done my best to keep you apart every time you were anywhere near each other!"

"That's kinda the point, doll." Jack said with a grin. "I don't know if our relationship would have coped with the strain of Evie Song matchmaking!"

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, shut up!" Then a thought struck me and I turned to the red-head accusingly. "Hang on… when I stayed with you that time –"

"What? The whole school debacle?" She asked, her eyes glinting with amusement.

"Yes, that." I agreed impatiently. "The date you went on… was that with HIM?" She nodded and Jack shot me a slightly affronted look at the way I'd referred to him. "Bloody hell! WHY didn't you just tell me?"

"Because it was a secret, remember." My Godfather pointed out, raising an eyebrow at me. "Remember what happened when everyone found out."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Yeah, because that lasted all of two minutes." I reminded him. "Dad's totally fine with it now. Although he does keep telling Jen to remind you he's got an eye on you, Jacky boy." I added, slightly gleefully.

"Speaking of Jenny…" Donna said, changing the subject. "She left this here last week." She walked to the clothes airer at the back of the room and picked up a neatly folded jacket. "Can you give it to her, please?"

I mumbled something about not being a delivery service, but took it anyway.

For a couple of minutes there was silence as Donna was drawn back into the programme on the television. Jack seemed equally confused by the happenings on the screen and before long we'd started up a conversation about the new adaptions he'd made to the rift manipulator after it had been used to transport the Earth back to its rightful position several years earlier. When questioned on why it had taken so long, he just shrugged and said he'd had other things to do, before smirking slightly and glancing at Donna. I groaned and shook my head, understanding the innuendo behind his words instantly.

"Really?" I muttered, arching an eyebrow. "I didn't need to hear that, Jack."

Donna, completely oblivious to what had just been said blinked at us, sleepily, rubbing her stomach. I grinned at her, as Jack put his own hand over her stomach, stroking it affectionately.

"When's it due?" I asked, curling up my legs once more and resting my chin on my hand.

She yawned widely before answering. "Another four months. Give or take a few weeks."

Seeing how tired she was I stood up, tucking Jenny's jacket under my arm. "I'm gonna head off so you can get to bed. Not–" I glared at Jack whose face had split into a smirk, "for that. Donna looks shattered."

He chuckled softly and gave me a hug. Donna stood up as well, wrapping her arms around me and clinging on much longer than was necessary. I didn't complain, however, just hugged her back tightly.

"Come and see us soon, kid." Jack commanded, wrapping an arm around Donna's waist as they followed me to the front door, leaning in the entrance as I headed down the path and entered the co-ordinates for mine and Mum's house.

"Promise." I agreed, waving and pressing the button, disappearing through the Vortex towards home.


	49. Hat Room

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Hat Room**

Age: 20

Location: The TARDIS

Date: –

* * *

><p>"If I see another chocolate covered marshmallow I may throw up." I announced as we headed through the blue doors and up the steps to the TARDIS console. Mum laughed and the Doctor shook his head, grinning.<p>

We had spent the afternoon on Balfinka Seven; a tiny planet in the Fentraxis Network that was famous for its sweets and chocolate. The Doctor, behaving like a small child, had insisted on dragging us to every single shop he could find. The chocolate covered marshmallows had been the size of my head and that was nothing in comparison to the strawberry flavoured laces. They were at least three feet long and as thick as my little finger.

"Well you shouldn't have eaten so many then, should you?" Mum chided me softly, prodding my stomach and making me groan in discomfort.

Pouting slightly, I shook my head. "I didn't eat that many! I only had three… he had at least six!"

The Doctor pulled a face, as though he didn't want to get drawn into the conversation. As I pointed to him, both Mum and I focused our attention on the Time Lord, noticing at once that his behaviour was rather suspicious. He was walking quickly towards the door that led to the corridor off which numerous rooms could be found. His hands were firmly behind his back, as though he were hiding something.

"Doctor?" I asked, pulling a face at his expression. He was looking anywhere but at us, a pink glow appearing across his cheeks as he felt our eyes boring into him. "What are you doing?"

"Doing?" He stuttered quickly. "Doing? Me? Nothing. I'm not doing anything at all? What would I be doing? I'm just… ahh… I'm just going to the… library."

I narrowed my eyes. "Why?"

"I wanted to look something up… the… the exact recipe for making those peanut and toffee ice cream things." He said quickly, his eyes still darting around the room.

"What's that behind your back, sweetie?" Mum asked, arching an eyebrow.

She was looking at him as though he were a naughty child who had just done something wrong. Her tone indicated the same thing. His face took on the appearance of a child as well, as he did his best to remain nonchalant.

He shuffled nearer to the door, looking shifty. "Nothing!"

"I can see it, sweetie!" Mum told him with a slight sigh. She shook her head and held out a hand towards him, reaching for whatever he was hiding behind his back. "Show me now." He still didn't move, so she put her hands on her hips and fixed him with a look that I knew well and was glad wasn't aimed at me this time. "I said… now."

Gulping he backed even further away. He had his hand on the door handle and pulled it open. Mum took a warning step forward and he cleared his throat nervously.

"It's nothing… I just… bought myself a present when we were shopping. You and Evie were looking at the sugar animals and I just thought I haven't bought myself anything for a while and it would make a nice change. I'd have bought you one of those lovely looking sugar elephants or a sugar Sontaran or something, but I didn't think about it. If you want one we can go back now? Just let me put this…" He broke off with a strangled cry as Mum reached him and wrestled the object out of his hands.

We stared at it in silence for a couple of minutes. It took me a while to work out what it was, but then I pulled a face that showed complete disbelief. Mum was looking at the object as though it was the most revolting thing she had ever seen in her entire life. The Doctor's expression was the complete opposite; he was regarding his latest purchase as though it was the most brilliant thing in the universe.

"It's a sugar fez." Mum hissed disgustedly. "You have bought a life-seized sugar fez. A fez that is made of sugar. Why?"

"Saying it in different ways isn't going to make it any less true." I pointed out, smirking slightly. She raised an eyebrow at me, which made my grin broader. She obviously just couldn't believe him.

"Well… fezzes are cool. So are things made of sugar. So a sugar fez is doubly cool." The Doctor reasoned, his gaze fixed on the hat in Mum's hand as though he was worried that she was about to steal it. "So if you just give it back I can…"

"You can what?" I asked, giggling. "What are you going to do with THAT?"

He looked affronted. "If you must know, I'm going to put it on a shelf in my hat room."

I snorted loudly, unable to contain my glee at his words. "Your what? You have a ROOM for HATS?"

"Of course." He snapped, looking sulky that I was laughing at his hat room. Mum rolled her eyes and held the offending object out. The Doctor snatched it back quickly, looking down at it lovingly. I would have sworn that he was even stoking it with his thumb. "Where else would I keep my hats?"

"Silly me!" I muttered, rolling my eyes and turning away so that he wouldn't see just how hard I was fighting not to burst into hysterical laughter.

The Doctor hurried away, muttering under his breath and holding onto his sugar fez tightly. Mum turned to face me, shaking her head and sighing in exasperation. She waited until the Doctor's footsteps on the metal flooring had faded to silence.

"I swear I am going to find that hat room and destroy it, if it's the last thing I do." She promised, starting to set the controls on the console.

"Aww, but they make him so happy!" I pointed out, leaning against the console beside her and folding my arms. She looked at me and raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, but they look ridiculous. Besides, he's just as happy with something shiny and a new part for the TARDIS." Mum said as that was the end of the conversation. Shrugging I turned around and helped her with the controls. The Doctor would make sure that Mum wouldn't find his hat room, although she wouldn't stop trying. Who knew who'd win that battle!

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written in response to Anon's prompt, '**__River: What's that behind your back sweetie? _

_The doctor shuffles away looking shifty: Nothing!_

_River: I can see it sweetie! Show me now! I said now!__**' **__**Hopefully this is along the lines of what you were thinking! :D**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;) **_


	50. Sugar Rush

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Sugar Rush**

_**A/N: This chapter is written from River's perspective because Evie is only tiny. I like to think that Evie would have found it in her mother's diary and copied it into her own. There will be a couple more chapters like this, but I'll let you know so you don't get confused! ;)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 4

Location: The Stormcage Facility

Date: –

I was stressed. It was probably entirely my own fault, but at that moment in time it was definitely the Doctor's fault. Who in their right mind feeds a four-year-old pretty much an entire bag of sugary sweets? The Doctor, that's who.

"But I didn't know she'd go crazy like this!" He whined, watching Evie running around in circles tunelessly singing a pop song from the 1960's at the top of her lungs which, considering she was so small, was a deceptively loud volume.

"What did you think would happen?" I demanded snatching the small rucksack that was dangling limply in his hand as he stared, seemingly horrified, at the monster he'd created.

"I… I don't know! Maybe there was something in those sweets that reacted badly with her genetic makeup and triggered a temporary–" he started but I cut him off with a sharp exhalation of breath and a shake of my head.

"No. This is what happens when you feed a four-year-old excessive amounts of sugar." I informed him. "Honestly… I leave her with you for one afternoon while I sort some things out and this is what happens?"

"She told me she was allowed sweets!" He protested. "She said you always bought her sweets and let her eat as many as she wanted because they were good for her."

Staring at him in complete disbelief I couldn't speak for a moment. In the background Evie was still running round in circles singing loudly. She'd moved on to a 47th Century nursery rhyme now, but it was no more tuneful than the last song had been.

"Of course she told you that, she wanted the sweets! What else did she say? If she'd told you she was allergic to vegetables and needed ice cream instead would you have believed her?" I demanded. The Doctor said nothing, but looked shifty, staring at his shoes. "You didn't?"

"She said that vegetables made her swell up like a balloon."

"She's four!"

"She did!" He pressed, raising his gaze and staring at me. "She said that vegetables made her swell up like a balloon and anyway cabbage gave her purple spots like chicken pox but much worse."

"That girl is far too clever for her own good." I grouched, glaring at him.

A small smile fought its way onto his face. "Whose fault is that?"

"Oh… shut up!" I snapped, dropping Evie's backpack onto her bed and trying to catch her. It took several minutes to get her to stop running in circles and drag her onto my lap so that I could survey her appearance critically. One of the bunches in her hair had come loose, giving her an odd lopsided look and she had a smudge of dirt on her face that extended from the tip of her nose, across her left cheek and ended just below her ear. I didn't even want to know how she'd got that.

"Sorry, love…" He said, looking slightly pitiful. I sighed, softening my tone and expression at the sight of his face. "I did my best."

"I know… But maybe next time you could take her somewhere a little less dangerous?"

"Less dangerous? What's less dangerous than an alien carnival where the main attraction is a flesh-eating plant from the planet Ventrixical Four?" The Doctor asked, looking genuinely confused. "I thought Evie would love it."

"I'm sure she did." I sighed, not even letting myself think about the main attraction and what else he had exposed Evie to. "But I was thinking a little less dangerous to my sleeping pattern and therefore your life."

The Doctor gulped, edging slowly towards the cell door and behind that his blue police box. "Right… well… I'd better be off…"

"Oh no." I stopped him in his tracks, wiping Evie's face with a wet wipe. Re-doing her hair so that her bunches were even, I placed a kiss on her cheek before lifting her and handing her to the Doctor. He looked slightly warily at her as she started humming a Gallifreyan lullaby loudly. "You got her all hyped up on sugar, you can deal with the consequences for once."

"But… what? River… NO!" The Doctor panicked gazing down at Evie who was grinning broadly at him. "I… I can't!"

"Yes, you can. You don't sleep much anyway. Evie…" I grinned as my daughter snapped her attention to my face. "You're going to have a sleepover with the Doctor on the TARDIS because Mummy has some things to do. Is that OK?"

Rather than answering, Evie emitted a high-pitched squeal and threw her arms tightly around his neck. The Doctor stared at me helplessly. I grinned.

"If I were you I'd steer clear of sugar, ice cream, fizzy drinks… that sort of thing." I advised, propelling him towards the TARDIS. "Have fun!"

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Did that actually happen?" Evie asked, giggling slightly as she looked up from her mother's diary. River glanced up from her back and shot her a quizzical look. "Did the Doctor actually believe me when I said I was allergic to vegetables?"<strong>_

"_**Oh, yeah." River replied, grinning at her daughter and nodding. "He never fed you that much sugar again! In fact he refused to give you anything with sugar in it for a long time. I have no idea exactly what happened that night, but he mentioned something about having to redecorate several of the rooms in the TARDIS."**_

"_**I can't believe that!" The girl laughed, shaking her head. "He doesn't have a clue!"**_

"_**You could wind him round your little finger, Evie. The threat of tears and he'd do whatever you wanted. I'm glad you grew out of that." Evie raised an eyebrow and her mother chuckled. "Well, mostly!"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written in response to NaviRebel16's prompt, '**_It would be awesome to see more of Evie's upbringing within Stormcage and so on. It would also be awesome to see Evie as a baby and stuff._**' **_

_**Hope you like it, doll! :)**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;) **_


	51. Revelations

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Revelations**

Age: 21

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: July 2013

* * *

><p>Since Jenny and I got drunk on Pixilquin Vodka two weeks before, Mum and Dad have been doing their best to punish us. Mum was far more successful. When she wasn't around, Dad kept forgetting that he was supposed to be teaching us a lesson and taking us to interesting and exciting places where we'd spend a while exploring and generally enjoying ourselves before he remembered and ushered us back into the TARDIS under strict instructions not to tell her.<p>

In a further attempt to punish us, Dad had dropped Jenny off at Donna's for a while, while he, Mum and I went to visit Jack at the Torchwood Hub. Mum wasn't particularly happy about this – she and Jack still weren't getting along very well. I heard my parents arguing in low voices about this decision, although they stopped abruptly when I appeared in the console room.

My Godfather beamed as the TARDIS doors opened and I launched myself through them at him; something I'd done every time I'd seen him since I could remember. I would throw myself at him and he would whirl me around in his arms as though I weighed no more than I had done when I was about ten. I doubted this routine would stop anytime soon, either.

"Hey, titch!" He said cheerfully, giving me an extra squeeze as he set me down on my feet. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"She's being punished again." Mum told him pointedly as she exited the TARDIS, before adding, under her breath, "So apparently we all have to suffer."

Jack stiffened slightly, obviously hearing her words and realising that the River in front of him was one who didn't particularly like him. Nevertheless he shrugged and grinned toothily at my parents.

"Hi, Jack!" Dad said more cheerfully than Mum. He started forwards to bestow his customary greeting on the man, an air-kiss beside each cheek, but Jack grabbed him in a bear hug. Caught off guard, the Doctor coughed slightly as he was released and smoothed his bowtie as though it had been ruffled. "How are… things?"

"Never better." Jack said happily. I caught the strange look that passed between the three 'adults' and narrowed my eyes. This must be something to do with why Mum was angry with Jack. Clearly no one was about to elaborate, however, as Dad launched into an exited chatter about one of the artefacts on the desk nearest to us.

Wandering quickly away before I could be drawn into the lecture as well, I spotted Gwen in the Hub's kitchen. She beamed as I entered the small room and threw her arms around me, hugging me tightly.

"Hello, cariad!" She exclaimed fondly. "How are you?"

"Fine thanks, Gwen. How are you? And Rhys?" I thought for a moment before adding. "What year is this… where are we?"

I hated the fact that I never got to places in an order that made sense. The last time I'd seen Gwen it had been a fleeting visit a couple of months ago for me, but it could have been years ago for her… or not even happened yet.

"It's July 2013." She told me with a smile, apparently not thinking anything of this question. She carried on making the drinks, loading up a tray and carrying it into the main part of the Hub. "Anwen's three now."

"Aww!" I exclaimed, glad that Gwen had brought her up. "I bet she's absolutely adorable!"

"Oh, she is! But she's a right handful as well. The last time I saw you, you offered to babysit… I don't think you realised how tiring three-year-old's can be!" Gwen told me with a laugh. "Although now I've told you that, when it actually happens for you, you might change your mind!"

"I doubt it." I told her with a shrug. "At least I've had some warning that it'll be tiring now, though!"

"What's the giggling about, girls?" Jack asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders as we joined them in his office. Mum and Gwen had immediately hugged each other and were chatting about Anwen. Mum seemed to be giving her some advice.

"Oh… nothing." I said with a smile. It was good to have things back to normal for once.

A while later, after Gwen had excused herself and headed home to Rhys and Anwen, I was sitting in one of the swivel chairs in the Hub, spinning round and round increasingly violently. Mum snapped at me to stop because I was making her feel sick.

"I'm bored!" I whined, coming to an abrupt halt by sticking my leg out and catching it on the leg of one of the desks with a loud thump. Pulling a face, I rubbed it hard.

"Serves you right." Mum said, raising her eyebrows at me. I glared back, sticking out my tongue in an extremely childish way.

"Can we actually DO something. Coming to Torchwood and just sitting here seems like a waste. I'm bored!" I repeated.

Dad shook his head. "Surprise, surprise. What shall we do to rectify this situation, Evie? What did you have in mind? Chasing through the streets of Cardiff after escaped Weevils with guns the size of… well, big guns?"

It sounded like fun to me, but I knew that admitting that would not help my cause. It had turned out that we were here because Dad wanted to ask Jack's advice on something – a very rare occurrence. It wasn't a social call at all. Now we were waiting for some of the equipment that Torchwood owned to come back with an analysis of a fragment of rock the Doctor thought was suspicious.

"She's worse than a child." Mum cut in, before I could reply. She rolled her eyes at me. "She's worse than she was AS a child."

I made a 'hmph' noise and crossed my arms over my chest, slouching further into my chair. Jack shot me a small grin and a wink. Then he scratched his head as though he was remembering something.

"I used to kill myself trying to keep her entertained when she was little." He said vaguely. Mum and the Doctor spluttered slightly, their eyes meeting in a concerned way before they glanced at me. They obviously thought that I'd been demanding and badly behaved when Jack was looking after me. I gave a little shrug and a nod, grinning slightly.

"What would you do?" Dad demanded, annoyed, thinking he meant that he tried so hard that he got exhausted.

"No… he would literally kill himself." I told them casually. Their mouths dropped open simultaneously at the thought. "He did it in really funny acts of stupidity… like in cartoons." I elaborated, ignoring the pale faces of my parents as they imagined their young daughter witnessing that. "Like he'd rig up a massive weight up there and drop it on himself… or one time, when I was five, he swallowed dynamite. That was hilarious!"

Mum stared at me in horror, her mouth opening and closing as she desperately struggled to find words. Dad was a strange grey-green colour as though he was about to throw up. I grinned at Jack who was smirking back.

"This is your fault." Mum snapped at Dad, although none of us could really see what the reasoning behind this statement was. He looked indignant.

"How?" He demanded.

I could tell that a full-scale argument was about to break out and stood up quickly, tugging on Mum's arm until she stood up and prodding her towards the TARDIS.

"Well… you two go and sort this out." I ordered, shooting a grin over my shoulder at Jack. "I'll wait around here for those samples and then come and meet you in a bit. My VM is locked onto the TARDIS' signal so I'll find you no problem. Right? Good."

They looked as though they were about to argue, but I shoved them through the doors and closed them firmly. Leaning against them, I waited until the familiar wheezing sound started up and the blue box dematerialised.

"I thought they'd never leave!" I sighed, shaking my head.

"Punishment over?" Jack asked, smirking. I nodded as he reached under his desk and brought out one of the oversized guns Torchwood used, passing it to me. "Time for a bit of fun then!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written in response to a conversation that Misery Loves Sarah imagined between Evie, River, the Doctor and Jack:**_

'_Evie – I'm bored_

_Doctor – (Sarcastically) Surprise, Surprise. What shall we do to rectify this situation Evie?_

_(Evie looks like she is thinking hard.)_

_River (rolls her eyes) – She's worse than a child... she worse than she was as a child._

_Jack (nods in remembrance) – I used to kill myself trying to keep her entertained when she was little._

_Doctor – What would you do?_

_Evie – No he would literally kill himself (gets a sheepish look on her face) in really funny acts of stupidity... like cartoons._

_(River stares at Evie in horror)_

_Evie – (tries to ignore her mother and finally shrugs exasperated) I was a kid... and I had a fairly sick sense of humour (mutters sarcastically) wonder who I got that from… and be fair, we are exaggerating things a bit. He never actually died… he just got hurt really badly in hilarious ways._

_(Doctor shakes his head at Jack)_

_Jack – What? It wasn't ever anything too graphic. Besides Gwen put a stop to it fairly quickly. After I electrocuted myself and almost shorted out the grid… (trails off after a look from River)__**'**_

_**I liked the idea and decided to go with it… hopefully she'll like it – and the rest of you will too! :D**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts or anything like this then just let me know! I love reading messages and reviews and stuff! ;) **_


	52. Date Night

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Date Night**

Age: 15

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: October 2030

* * *

><p>"You look nice." Mum said, absent-mindedly looking up from the kitchen table. She was painting her finger nails with a bright red varnish she'd borrowed from Gran.<p>

"Thanks…" I muttered, moving quickly towards the back door.

I was only a couple of strides from it when she spoke again. Somehow she'd managed to navigate the squeaky kitchen chair, stand up and follow me across the room without me noticing. I swore under my breath.

"And where do you think you're going?" She asked, turning me round with her hands on my shoulders and arching an eyebrow at me.

"Out?" I replied, trying to sound as innocent as possible.

"Where?" Mum pressed. "This is the third time you've gone out all dressed up this week."

"I'm not 'all dressed up'!"

She laughed. "You don't generally wander around in a mini-skirt and heels."

I narrowed my eyes, staring her out. Mum apparently had no intention of letting me off the hook that easily but, from the look of it she was getting ready to go out as well. This meant that she had half her mind focused on clothes and hair and makeup and wouldn't be fully concentrating on this particular battle. I smiled, innocently.

"I'm just meeting up with some friends." I told her. "You know, Jade and Tara from Chiswick High… when I was living with Donna. Just friends from school. We're going to the cinema and to get pizza. Apparently this is what they wear for doing that."

Apparently she was sufficiently distracted to believe my story and nodded, smiling indulgently at me. "Oh… d'you need some money?"

"Nope, Gramps gave me some earlier."

"Good. Well, have a nice time." Mum told me, returning to the table and starting to paint her nails once more. I grinned and opened the door, intending to make a hasty escape. "Oh! What time will you be back?"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I don't know… why?"

"I'm going out as well." She said with a strange look on her face. Her eyes were twinkling and she was practically glowing. It didn't take a genius to realise that she was going on a date with the Doctor. "And so are Mum and Dad. It's date night, apparently. Do you have a house key to get back in?"

I nodded, scrabbling around in my bag and pulling out a set of silver keys. I waggled them at her, before stuffing them back into the bag and blowing her a kiss. "Have a nice time… say hi to the Doctor for me."

She looked surprised, as though she'd assumed I wouldn't automatically know who she was going out with. It was so obvious – who else would it be? Then she smirked and blew me a kiss back.

"Be good." She ordered, arching her eyebrow and smirking even more broadly.

I just laughed and went outside, closing the door with a click and setting the coordinates on my Vortex Manipulator. In a little more than the blink of an eye I found myself standing on Chiswick High Street. I'd half been telling the truth; I was meeting a friend from school. I just wasn't meeting Jade or Tara. Or any other girl, for that matter.

The truth was, I was meeting Tom; my boyfriend.

He grinned as he spotted me, pushing his floppy brown fringe out of his eyes and pulling his hands out of his pockets. I smiled back as he walked towards me and reached up on my tiptoes to give him a peck on the lips in greeting.

"You're late, babe." He said, chuckling and interlacing our fingers as we turned and headed along the street in the direction of the cinema.

Punching him lightly in the chest, I laughed. "No I'm not… you were early."

"Fair enough." He agreed. "I guess I just couldn't wait to see you."

I laughed and pulled a face. "Oh shut up, you loser."

We chatted as we walked, not really paying much attention to our surroundings. Suddenly I spotted a familiar figure to my right and yanked Tom by the hand behind a telephone box. Pressed up against him, I put a finger to my lips and peered around the corner of the box to check whether the coast was clear.

A very familiar woman with fiery red hair was walking quickly along the road, several bags of shopping in each hand. Donna had obviously been doing some late night shopping and was only now heading home. I didn't want her to spot me out with Tom. If she found out that I had a boyfriend before Mum or Gran, or even Gramps and the Doctor, there would be trouble. Not to mention the fact that she wouldn't be able to keep it a secret and I would never hear the last of it.

"What was that about?" Tom asked in bewilderment as I moved away and let him out from behind the telephone box.

"Sorry… that was Do… my auntie. She doesn't know about you yet and if she'd seen us it wouldn't have been good." I told him apologetically.

"Are you ashamed of me?" He questioned, raising his eyebrows.

"No!" I said quickly. "Not at all. It's just… my family isn't exactly normal and… well… I should probably keep you away from them for your sake."

"They can't be THAT bad?"

I snorted with laughter. "You'd never believe me."

"Try me."

I looked at Tom. He was staring at me, as though challenging me to tell him the most ridiculous, farfetched, unbelievable story in the universe. In a moment of complete madness I decided to do just that. I decided to tell Tom the truth.

"I'm not human." I said seriously. "Well, not completely human."

Tom looked as though he didn't know whether to laugh or not. "What?"

"See… told you you wouldn't believe me." I said, slightly smugly. Sighing, I used our intertwined fingers to pull him to a nearby bench and sat down on it. I turned to face him, still holding his hand tightly. "Out there… all around is… is a big wide universe. We're not alone, as they say. My mother was conceived in a time and space machine, called a TARDIS. This meant that she was affected by the Time Vortex which caused her to develop certain… non-human traits."

My explanation was incredibly simplified from the truth, but even this seemed to be giving Tom a look of complete confusion. He was obviously trying to work out whether his girlfriend was totally off her rocker.

"I can show you, if you want." I suggested, tilting my head slightly to one side.

"Show me? How?" He had gone pale at the possibilities running through his mind.

Pointing to the device on my wrist, I smiled reassuringly. "This is called a Vortex Manipulator. It uses rift energy to travel through the Vortex and take me to different times and places, depending on the coordinates I've imputed."

"What…?" He muttered.

"Let's go to my grandparents' house." I suggested, taking his hand and pressing the button on my wrist. We dematerialised from the bench and materialised again in the garden of Gran and Gramps' house.

Tom looked as though he was about to faint. "What…?" He repeated.

I unlocked the door and led him into the house, locking the door behind me. He allowed me to pull him through the rooms and into the living room. I turned on the lights as he slumped onto the sofa, looking a little grey.

"Are you alright?" I asked, realising that this was probably a very stupid question. "Using the VM takes a little getting used to. D'you want a drink or something?"

Tom shook his head. "So… you're an alien?"

"Sort of." I agreed with a shrug. "My Gran and Gramps are completely, one hundred per cent human, so the non-human part of me comes from what happened to Mum. Well… I dunno who my Dad is. He could be an alien, I guess." I shrugged again and sat beside him on the sofa. "I'm sorry… d'you want me to take you home?"

He shook his head again. "No… I… it's just hard to get my head around. Having an alien for a girlfriend…. It's pretty cool!"

"You still want me to be your girlfriend?" I asked, surprised. I had expected him to freak out and refuse to ever see or speak to me again.

"Of course." He agreed, looking a little surprised himself. "Why wouldn't I? I liked you before I knew you weren't human… finding out hasn't changed that."

I smiled and leant towards him, our lips meeting in a tender kiss.

x-x

A couple of hours later, I heard the front door opening and sat bolt upright. Tom looked at me in confusion as I pulled at my top, hastily re-doing the buttons properly. Before I could say anything, let alone warn him, my bedroom door opened and the Doctor stood in the doorway. Panicking, and completely losing my head, I threw myself at Tom, kissing him firmly. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

"Evie Song, what in the name of Rassilon do you think you're doing?" The Doctor demanded.

I glanced up and met his eyes weakly. "Kissing my boyfriend, what else does it look like?"

As he glanced at my slightly dishevelled appearance and the fact that we were sprawled on my bed, I realised that perhaps that wasn't the best question to have asked. But it was too late; the words had already left my mouth and reached the Doctor's ears. He looked as though he was about to explode.

"River, talk to your daughter!" He shouted over his shoulder, reaching out and grabbing Tom by his arm.

I protested, but he pulled him out of the room. Tom threw nervous glances at me as they went, but I was prevented from following by Mum, who blocked my way down the hall, standing with her hands on her hips and raising an eyebrow.

The whole thing was made far worse by Gran and Gramps' arrival back at the house. Mum and Gran proceeded to ask for details, apparently far more concerned about getting the gossip than doing as the Doctor had obviously intended and reprimanding me for my behaviour. Apparently they didn't mind me sneaking a boy into my bedroom, as long as he was good-looking.

Gramps had immediately gone to fetch his sword. It was always the first thing he did when he felt the need to assert his authority in a situation. Tom had looked terrified when Gramps walked into the living room, brandishing an authentic Roman sword. I attempted to dodge past them and get to him, but Gramps firmly shut the door and I was forced to enlighten Mum and Gran while Tom received an interrogation from Gramps and the Doctor.

Finally they apparently decided that he wasn't intending anything untoward and let him out of the room. This, however, meant that he was released straight into the clutches of Mum and Gran. I don't know which ordeal was worse.

In the end, I pulled him away from them and hurriedly transported us back to Chiswick, just after we'd left. Tom looked absolutely terrified and I was sure he was about to tell me he couldn't deal with the insanity of the situation and the ridiculous people I called my family. Staring at my feet, I chewed my lip and waited for the worst.

"So…" He said, weakly. "According to my watch we can still make the movie… if you're up for it?"

I looked up at him, wide-eyed. "You mean… you're not going to dump me?"

"Dump you? No!" He laughed, although admittedly it was slightly nervously. "You might be an alien, but you're still Evie. Besides, after they'd finished interrogating me – which I imagine was significantly worse than being questioned in court – your Gramps and the Doctor explained some things to me. Your life is pretty cool, babe."

"Oh… so you're with me for my family now, are you?" I joked, grinning up at him.

He bent down and kissed me gently. "Of course."

I giggled and kissed him back, putting my arms around his neck. It was just getting interesting when a familiar voice broke through my thoughts and brought me abruptly back to Earth.

"Evie Song…" The crisp voice of Sylvia Noble snapped just behind me. "What on Earth do you think you're doing?"

I sighed heavily, before turning and smiling at her. "Tom, this is my… Nan. Nan… this is Tom, my boyfriend."

Sylvia tutted before folding her arms over her chest and scowling at us both. I could tell this was going to be a long night with even more explanations about my strange, mixed up, incredibly dysfunctional family.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__**This chapter was written in response to three prompts. The first was from **__**The Sheep Of Destiny, who wanted to see '**__Evie's first boyfriend__**'.**_

_**The second prompt was from DoctorWhoGal, who suggested that, '**__Evie should be on her first date and the Doctor and River are over protective of her. I think you should also get Rory involved to do his Last Centurion act.__**'**_

_**The third prompt was from **__**Amyxxx**__**, who said, '**_Evie is 13 and she and her boyfriend are sat in Evie's bedroom at the Pond's house kissing. The TARDIS suddenly materialises in her room and The Doctor and River come out.

The Doctor: Evie Song, what in the name of Rassilon do you think you're doing?

Evie: Kissing my boyfriend, what else does it look like?

The Doctor: River, talk to your daughter!**' I adapted this a little, but hopefully you don't mind too much! :D**

_**Hope you liked it guys! :) **_

_**Also, I don't think I've said it for a while – if I have that's just another example of how bad my memory is! – but THANK YOU for all the reviews and favouriting and subscribing and all the brilliant prompts you've sent me! I'm a little behind with parts for this fic because I was concentrating on getting '**__Nightmares__**' finished. Now that's done I can refocus on this! :D**_

_**x**_


	53. The Fraxon Crystal

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Fraxon Crystal**

Age: 12

Location: The Ultonian Markets, Ultonia, Opiline Sector

Date: December 2071

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><p>Yesterday was my twelfth birthday. As a treat, Mum took me shopping. Well, I say it was a treat and that she took me shopping. In reality we went to the Ultonian Markets in search of a rare Fraxon Crystal that she'd heard was for sale there. She didn't tell me the real reason for our visit until we arrived and she led me straight to a shady alley where she was meeting her informant.<p>

I don't like Raal. He's a Quixeen and everything about him, from his slightly oily blue skin to the series of grey-blue spikes which run from his forehead to the back of his neck to his cold pale orange eyes, freaks me out. I glared at him in distrust as he and Mum spoke in low voices and she pressed a credit stick into his clawed hand.

"Come on, honey." Mum said brightly as she turned away from him and he melted into the shadowy alley. "First stop Mr Tra'fleen's stall."

"I thought you said we were going to spend the day together, just us." I whined. "But now you're on one of your missions again. You're ALWAYS on a mission."

Mum laughed. "This is going to take ten minutes, max. I promise, sweetie."

I rolled my eyes and sighed theatrically as she walked quickly away. For a moment I considered refusing to follow her, but then I quickly changed my mind and broke into a run to catch up. She held out her hand and took mine, squeezing my fingers and pulling me with her as we wound in and out of clumps of tourists and shoppers milling about in the market.

"So… what is this thing we're looking for?" I asked, swinging my arm so that hers swung wildly as well. Mum laughed and moved her arm in time with mine. "Is it worth a lot? Is it dangerous?"

Glancing quickly at my excited face, Mum smirked. "It's both of those, darling. When we find it… oh! It'll make us rich!"

"What's the point in being rich, though, if we have to live in Stormcage?"

Mum sighed. "We won't always live in Stormcage, sweetie. Sooner or later they'll let me out. Then we'll need the money. I'm thinking we get a big house… with a swimming pool!"

"And a pony!" I joined in the game. It was something we'd played for as long as I could remember; the things we'll have when Mum gets out of prison.

"And a spa and a gym…"

"And a shooting gallery!" I almost shouted in my excitement. Mum shot me an amused look and spluttered with laughter.

"I don't think we should mention that addition to the Doctor! You know what he's like! I doubt he'd approve of a shooting gallery!"

"He won't be there anyway, so what does it matter?" I asked with a small twitch of my shoulders in a mini shrug. An odd expression crossed Mum's face, but it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. I shrugged again. "Can I have a tree house? And a pond with fish in? Oh! And one of those massive fish tanks… you know the ones that are a load of balls joined together so the fish can swim between them? And an attic bedroom? Aaaannndddd…"

Mum laughed. "You can have whatever you want, sweetie." She promised. Then she stopped and took a breath, fiddling with the gun holster at her hip underneath her coat. "Wait here… I need to go and have a word with Mr Tra'fleen. Stay here… DON'T wander off. I'll be two minutes."

Not wandering off is much more difficult than it sounds. I watched Mum for a couple of minutes. She'd already been more than two minutes, so I felt perfectly justified in moving away from the spot she'd left me to look at a jewellery stall a little to my right. I browsed through the assortment of rings and necklaces and earrings, feeling a little bored.

A shimmering stone on a length of black cord caught my eye. At first, it seemed to be white, with tiny shimmering particles in it. On closer inspection, however, I realised that it wasn't white at all. It seemed to be a clear sphere filled with shimmering smoke that swirled, settling for a moment before shifting again.

The more I stared at it, the more I wanted it.

A quick glance over my shoulder told me that the stall owner was still busy with a rather argumentative customer who seemed to want a refund for a faulty pair of earrings. From what she was saying the earrings had exploded and set her hair on fire. With a grin, I reached out quickly, grabbed the necklace and pocketed it. Innocently I continued to browse the rest of the jewellery on show, before pushing my hands into my pockets and wandering nonchalantly away.

I returned to the spot where Mum had left me just in time for her to run at me, grab hold of my hand and sprint away dragging me with her. She had a deep crimson cloth bag in her other hand and from the shouts that followed us through the market I assumed that she hadn't acquired it completely legally. I smirked; she couldn't say anything about my thieving… she was just as bad, if not worse!

"Why… are… we… running…?" I gasped as I tried to keep up with her.

She threw herself round a corner, dragging me with her. I almost stumbled but managed to regain my footing just in time. She shook her head slightly; not wasting her breath on speaking when there was running to be done. I rolled my eyes, but found that I didn't have the energy or breath to waste on arguing.

Finally we came to a halt and Mum struggled with her Vortex Manipulator and grabbed my hand. We whirled back through the Vortex to the corridor outside our cell. Rolling her eyes at the sound of the sirens starting up, Mum grabbed the phone out of its cradle on the wall.

"Yes, yes. River and Evie Song back in their cell… yes… I know… well we're back now. Oh… keep your hair on!" She said into the receiver. I grinned and reached up, going onto my tiptoes, for the key to our cell that was hidden ready for occasions such as this.

Once we were inside, Mum returned the key to its hiding place and came to sit beside me on her bed. She carefully undid the cords around the top of the cloth bag and pulled out a large lump of… rock. We both looked at it.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "I'm not an expert or anything, but aren't crystals supposed to be sparkly?"

"Yes." Mum let out a loud growl of infuriation. "This, obviously, isn't the Fraxon Crystal. It's a lump of rock. I am going to kill Raal."

I grinned, liking the sound of that threat. Then I put my hand in my pocket and pulled out the necklace with the strange stone on it. "Look what I got."

"What?" Mum's mouth dropped open. She grabbed the stone off me, examining it closely. Holding it up to the light, she turned her head slowly to stare at me. "Where did you get this?"

"Nicked it off that jewellery stall." I told her casually with a shrug.

"Bloody thief…" Mum muttered distractedly. "Bloody genius thief!"

I squealed in surprise as she threw her arms around me, laughing, and pulled me into a hug that lifted me clean off my feet.

"What?" I demanded wriggling until she released me.

"Evie Song… while, as your mother, I should be punishing you for stealing I am in fact going to congratulate you on your amazing ability to steal things that are worth a lot of money." She said laughing. I shook my head, still totally confused. "You, my love, have stolen the very same crystal that we were looking for."

"What? Th-that's the Fraxon Crystal?" I asked, my mouth falling open in surprise. Then I smirked, grabbing it out of her hand before she could stop me and dancing away across the cell. "So, by rights all the lovely money that we'll get from this is mine?"

Mum arched an eyebrow and advanced on me. I shrieked as she grabbed hold and started tickling me mercilessly. When I caught my breath and straightened up, the necklace was back in her possession.

"You're only twelve… everything you own is mine anyway." She said with a wink.

I curled up beside her on the bunk as she studied the crystal closely. With her free hand she stroked my hair gently and I snuggled up closer.

"Another advantageous day out, wouldn't you agree?" She asked, smiling down at me.

I grinned. "Always."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__**This chapter was written in response to a prompt from **__**1945, who said that she would, '**__love to see River and Evie have a day together, preferably when Evie was very young__**.'**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;)**_


	54. What's a Birthday? 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: What's a Birthday?**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: An Author's Note at the beginning? What is going on? Basically I'm putting it here, because this is going to be a multi-chapter part, so I thought I'd do this bit first before we get into the story! :) **_

_**Anyway, this chapter was written in response to a prompt from **__**Misery Loves Sarah, who said that she, '**__would really enjoy some more Evie/Jenny shenanigans__**.'**_

_**Hope you like it!**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 22

Location: Chiswick, England, Earth

Date: 10th May 2011

* * *

><p><em><strong>When Sylvia arrived home from work all she really wanted was a cup of tea, a nice sit down and a bit of evening telly. Opening her front door, however, she was greeted by the sound of her daughter laughing loudly, as well as her father's chuckling and another female voice she recognised. There was also another female voice that she didn't know.<strong>_

_**Hanging her coat up, the woman pushed opened the living room door ready to start complaining. Donna, however, didn't give her the opportunity.**_

"_**Mum!" She said with a broad smile. "This is Jenny, my daughter… sort of."**_

_**Sylvia had to lean against the doorframe before she fainted.**_

* * *

><p>After leaving the TARDIS after the events on the Dalek Crucible, Jenny and I had gone straight to Donna's house in Chiswick. Neither of us really fancied going straight home to face Mum and the Doctor, so we'd taken a detour.<p>

It hadn't taken very long before Donna answered her door. I expected her to be more surprised at the sight of us standing on her doorstep but I supposed that she'd been in enough weird situations and was used to lots of different versions of me turning up on her doorstep without warning.

"Mum!" Jenny squealed, throwing herself at Donna who laughed and hugged her tightly, before hugging me as well. I grinned happily.

"I know where you've just been. You've just been to the Dalek Crucible, haven't you?" Donna said raising an eyebrow. Jenny and I both blushed, realising that there was no way we could get ourselves out of this one. Donna sighed and shook her head wearily. "You realise how much trouble you're in, don't you?"

"I know… Dad is going to murder us." I agreed, sighing as well and pulling a face.

"Not from him…" Donna raised an eyebrow and smirked. "You called me ginger!"

I laughed and stuck out my tongue. Then I squeezed past her through the front door and headed down the hall. "Is Gramps here?"

The living room door opened and Wilf appeared, looking slightly bemused by all the voices. When he realised that it was me walking towards him he beamed and held open his arms. I hugged him tightly, laughing.

"Well! Have you grown?" He asked jokily. I shook my head and swatted at him gently before standing aside and letting him get a glimpse of Jenny.

"Gramps… this is Jenny, my sister. She's sort of Donna's daughter." I told him.

"Sort of? How can she sort of be Donna's daughter?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. I smiled, amused by the fact that this was the only part of the information that he had trouble with. The idea that his granddaughter had a grown-up daughter, who was my sister, obviously didn't faze him.

"It's a long story." Donna said moving into the kitchen and putting the kettle on. "Evie, explain."

I rolled my eyes, grinned and went into the living room, sitting on the sofa before I started to explain. "Well… I wasn't actually there, but Donna and Dad were on this planet called Messaline. There was a machine –"

"It took a sample of Dad's skin and then used his diploid cells, splitting them into haploids and rearranging the DNA to create me." Jenny cut in, perching on the edge of the sofa beside me. I frowned slightly, a little annoyed that she'd interrupted.

"So biologically she isn't Donna's daughter." I explained. "But because Donna was there when Jenny was created and looked after her, Jenny feels like she is. And Donna was pretty happy about it when Jen called her Mum."

Wilf beamed at them both. "Then that's good enough for me! Come here and give your old gramps a hug, my girl!" He said, holding out his arms and squeezing Jenny in a bear hug. She beamed.

"So? Are we all sorted with the explanations?" Donna asked, returning with a tray of mugs of tea and a plate of biscuits.

"Sure are!" I agreed through a mouthful of cookie crumbs.

"That is disgusting." Jenny and Donna told me at exactly the same moment, their faces screwed up in disgust.

I grinned. "See… you wouldn't know they weren't biologically related!"

Half an hour later we were all giggling at Donna's latest mishap at work and almost missed the sound of a key in the front door.

"Mum's home!" Donna said, looking slightly concerned. "How d'you reckon she's going to take the news about Jenny?"

"She's used to me calling her Nan; she'll probably take it in her stride." I suggested hopefully. Since staying with the Nobles when I was fourteen I'd never got out of the habit; not that I particularly wanted to. Wilf and Donna looked at me as though I was being overly optimistic and Jenny looked a little alarmed.

The living room door opened and Donna's mother appeared in the room. I smiled at her as reassuringly as I could and she returned it briefly, if a little distractedly, before her eyes settled at Jenny in clear confusion. She was apparently about to open her mouth to say something, but Donna beat her to it.

"Mum! This is Jenny, my daughter… sort of."

We all held our breath waiting for Sylvia's reaction. She leant against the doorframe, slightly unsteadily, staring at Jenny in total bewilderment. Jenny clearly didn't know how to handle the situation and smiled uncertainly at her.

"Hi." She said, giving an awkward little wave. I raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly and she frowned at me.

"Nan… come and sit down." I suggested, standing up quickly and manoeuvring her into my recently vacated seat on the sofa. Her eyes were fixed on Jenny who looked uncomfortable. "I'll go and make you a cup of tea."

Escaping from the room, I left the doors open so that I could listen to the conversation. Donna was explaining about Jenny and Messaline and the machine. Then Wilf joined in, informing Sylvia that Jenny might as well be Donna's biological daughter judging from her behaviour.

When I returned, Sylvia seemed much more relaxed, although she was still quite pale. I suppose she'd focused on the word 'daughter' and had imagined all sorts of scenarios.

"So… I was thinking." Donna said with the air of someone who was about to make an important announcement.

"Dangerous." Jenny, Wilf and I all said at exactly the same moment. We grinned at each other and ignored the roll of Donna's eyes that accompanied the comment.

"You're all hilarious." She told us sarcastically. "No, seriously right. I was thinking its May, which was when Jenny was born. So it must be nearly her birthday!"

"What's a birthday?" Jenny asked, glancing between us.

The Nobles looked shocked but I just smiled. "It's a day where you celebrate your birth. My birthday is in December… Yours is today."

Jenny looked shocked. "Is it?"

"It is now!" Donna told her grinning.

Wilf stood up, clapping his hands excitedly. "This calls for a party!"


	55. What's a Birthday? 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: What's a Birthday?**

Fifteen minutes later Jenny and I had been dispatched to the supermarket to buy food for the party. Sylvia had been coaxed into compiling the list of all the things we needed to buy and Donna had given us her purse. She'd also told us a four digit number, saying it was her PIN. Jenny and I had looked mystified until she'd explained that it was the number we needed to input to use her card. This had drawn more blank looks, so Donna had sighed and pulled out a card from her purse and waved it at us.

"This is my bank card, OK?" She said slowly. "When you get to the till you need to put this into the machine and type in the numbers I just told you. OK? Can you remember that?"

I rolled my eyes. "We're alien, not stupid." I told her sarcastically.

She laughed. "Off you go then. As quickly as you can."

So off we went. Along with the shopping list and Donna's purse we'd been given directions to the nearest supermarket, which was in walking distance. On our way to Tesco, we bumped into several neighbours who stared at me in confusion before I gave them a brief smile and pulled Jenny hurriedly away. As far as they were concerned, Evie Song was only about fifteen now.

"So… have you ever done this before?" Jenny asked as we approached the supermarket. Clearly the look I gave her answered her question and she pulled a face. "OK… so… basket?"

"No… let's get one of those wheeled trolley things." I suggested, spotting some parked together near the entrance. "That'll be easier."

We went cautiously towards the large glass wall of the building, which slid aside as we got close enough. Passing through the automatic doors, we suddenly found ourselves in a huge building that was crammed full of all sorts of things. It was difficult trying to work out where to begin.

"What's on the list?" Jenny asked, leaning on the handles of the trolley.

"Chips, burgers, sausages, bread rolls, ice cream, chocolate sauce, strawberry sauce, strawberries, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, tomato ketchup, brown sauce, chocolate hobnobs, lemonade and coke." I read out quickly.

We gazed at each other, wondering where we were supposed to start. Sighing and running a hand through my hair I glanced around the shop. Spotting a sign hanging from the ceiling I pointed at it and gave a little exclamation.

"Look, Jen." I said excitedly. "Milk… OK... Cheese… Confectionary… Ah, frozen food." I read, finally finding something promising.

Pushing the trolley between us, each putting a hand on the handle, we headed towards the promising sign and managed to get there without causing too much havoc. We narrowly avoided running over several people with the trolley.

"Frozen food… chips!" Jenny said, pouncing on the fridge that contained the item of food that we needed. There were a couple of moments while we struggled to open the fridge. There was a complicated mechanism, which we finally realised was a sliding panel on the top. A nice man helped us get into the fridge, showing us how to slide it open.

We battled the fridges again for the burgers, before retreating out of the frozen food aisle. Once we'd moved away, the goose bumps on our arms vanished and we warmed up in an instant.

"Why are there so many different types of bread roll?" Jenny demanded as we stood in the bakery section, staring in complete confusion at the shelves of bread. "Which ones are we supposed to get?"

"Umm…" I flipped my hair over my shoulder and screwed up my face, thinking hard. I scrutinised the different brands of bread laid out in front of us. Then I sighed and shrugged, picking up two packets of bread rolls from the shelf; one white and one brown. "These will do. It's just bread, isn't it?"

"I suppose." Jenny agreed, still looking totally confused.

We worked our way through the list, going in search of each item in order. By the time we were almost finished we realised that this wasn't the best method because we must have walked the length of the entire supermarket at least four times.

This realisation was made marginally better by the discovery that if we ran and then jumped on the trolley we could travel along the aisles at some speed. There was a slightly awkward moment when I went careering into a display of boxes of cereal and we were forced to make a hasty retreat from the aisle before someone noticed.

Finally we'd collected each item on Sylvia's list and made our way to the checkouts. There seemed to be two options; a conveyor belt that was manned by a person sitting behind the desk wearing a uniform and looking totally bored or some kind of machine that did all the work.

"Person or machine?" I asked Jenny, leaning on the handle of the trolley and raising an eyebrow.

She considered for a moment. "Machine… surely that'll be easier. There will be less awkward questions if we act oddly."

Nodding, I pushed the trolley towards the self-checkout machines and we waited in the queue. As other people used the machines, we observed closely, trying to understand what we were supposed to do. When it was our turn, we thought we had a pretty good idea of how to work them.

"Right… you hold them on the scanner thingy and I'll put them in the bag." I said firmly as we made a start.

"OK." Jenny agreed, nodding as she began.

For a while everything went smoothly. We just had the chips, burgers, sausages and tomato ketchup left when things started to go wrong.

"Take the last item out of the bagging area." The machine commanded. Both Jenny and I jumped and glanced quickly at each other.

"Go on then!" She demanded, slightly panicked by the tone of the machine. "Take it out! Quick!"

Doing as she asked, I grabbed the bag of frozen chips and removed them from the carrier bag.

"Please wait for assistance." The machine ordered.

We glanced at each other in alarm. A young man appeared at my side and scanned a card before typing something into the screen. The message disappeared at once, as did the assistant. He hadn't said a word, before he went. Raising my eyebrows at Jenny, I returned the chips to the carrier bag and we resumed our little routine.

It was a relief when we finished. Jenny pressed the option to pay by card and we put it into the reader as the screen indicated. It took a couple of attempts to get it in the right way, but finally it worked and I typed in the four digit number Donna had told me.

"I never want to do that again." Jenny said passionately as we headed out of the supermarket, laden down with shopping bags. "It was horrible."

Nodding in agreement I pulled a face. "I know… I can't believe they have to go through that EVERY time they need food."

"Duplicators are definitely the way forward!" Jenny said with a grin.

The walk back to the Noble's house took longer than the walk to the supermarket because of all the shopping bags. We kept ourselves occupied by chatting about my past birthdays and deciding how old Jenny should be. In the end we settled on the idea that today was her 22nd birthday, which would make us the same age. That made things far simpler for everyone.

As we walked through the front door, we saw at once that Donna, Wilf and Sylvia had been busy while we'd been out. They had decorated the house with streamers and balloons and 'Happy Birthday' banners.

"Surprise!" They called in unison as we entered the kitchen.

"Why, thank you!" I said jokily, pretending to be touched by their greeting.

"Don't be an idiot!" Donna laughed and swatted at me, before reaching out and hooking the plastic bags from my hands while Sylvia took Jenny's.

"You've been ages." Sylvia said in her usual abrupt tone. Jenny looked as though she was being told off. Apparently it was going to take her a while to get used to Sylvia's way of talking and behaving.

I smiled sitting in the nearest chair, resting my elbows on the table and resting my chin in my hands. "I know… sorry, Nan. That shopping malarkey is far more difficult than I'd ever imagined."

Sylvia looked at me suspiciously. "What did you do, Evie Song?" She demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing!" I protested, holding my hands up to demonstrate my innocence. "It's just far more complicated than we expected."

Wilf chuckled. "I suspect that there's a story to be told here. Come on, out with it, girl."

So between us Jenny and I told them all about our adventure at Tesco. Wilf and Donna found it hilarious, especially the cereal box avalanche, while even Sylvia chuckled a little. She relaxed immensely during the evening and, by the time came for Jenny and I to return home and face the music, she was perfectly happy.

"See you soon, Nan." I said, giving her a hug before moving to the door.

Jenny echoed my words, slightly unsurely.

"That better be a promise." Sylvia ordered, taking everyone by surprise. "I've always wanted granddaughters."


	56. Shooting Stars 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Shooting Stars**

Age: 17

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: October 2011

* * *

><p>I checked the time on my Vortex Manipulator as I crossed Roald Dahl Plass. It seemed to be playing up because the coordinates I'd entered should have brought me straight to the Hub. Instead I found myself halfway down East Bute Street directly outside the BBC National Orchestra of Wales building.<p>

With a sigh, and making a mental note to get Jack to check the device as soon as I got to the Hub, I turned and headed along the street, turning left on the corner and following the road around. It was a good job I'd been here countless times before or I would probably have got hopelessly lost.

A dark haired girl was sitting on the curb beside the spot where the invisible lift was. I paid her little attention, wondering whether she'd notice that I would disappear as soon as I stood on the correct slab. Changing direction slightly, I intended to walk behind her so that she would just think I'd walked away in that direction, rather than just vanishing.

"Oi, Evie Song!" The girl shouted as I neared her. I jumped and whirled around to face her, almost screaming out loud at hearing my name called in a voice I had no recollection of ever hearing before.

Studying the girl more closely confirmed my thoughts that I had never met her before. Even though she was sitting down I could tell that she was quite small, possibly even my height, and very skinny. She looked quite young, perhaps fourteen or fifteen, although there was a knowing look in her strangely coloured eyes which possibly allowed her a few more years than her face. She had very long black hair which fell like a sheet down her back, almost touching the pavement she sat on.

"Sorry… I don't know who you're talking about." I told her coldly with a shrug and carried on walking.

"Don't try that one on me, Evie." She said with a grin, leaping to her feet and taking a few steps towards me. The girl came to a halt in front of me. Now she was standing, I guessed that we were much of a height.

I stopped dead, glaring at her. My gaze seemed drawn to her eyes. At first glance they seemed grey. Looking more closely, I saw at once that her irises were flecked with purple. This fact immediately put me on my guard; purple eyes were not normal. Not for humans and not on Earth, anyway.

"Who are you?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at her suspiciously.

She tilted her head slightly to one side, scrutinising me. Then her eyes widened in surprise as she realised that I was being deadly serious. I'd been in this situation enough times to know that she obviously knew who I was; apparently we'd met at least once before in my future. But even though I could understand and believe this, it didn't mean that I was going to trust this strange girl until I knew who she was.

"Lucie." The girl said, holding out her hand formally for me to shake. I stared at her hand for a moment, before reaching out and taking it. Giving it a firm shake, I dropped it abruptly before crossing my arms over my chest.

"So, Lucie… how do you know me?" I demanded.

"We've met… a couple of times before." She said with a grin. "You warned me not to tell you anything. But to be honest that's a bloody pain in the arse because it's ridiculously hard to gain your trust."

I arched an eyebrow and smirked, knowing that her words were true. "And you're here, because?"

Lucie shrugged. "You tell me."

Glaring at her, I considered my next move for a moment or two. It was clear to me that I'd told her to be here. That was the only reason she would have been waiting at this spot for me to arrive. But then, why would I have told her to come? What was about to happen?

"D'you know what's here?" I asked, cryptically. I fully intended to gage how much she knew, before filling her in on anything myself.

"Of course!" Lucie laughed. "The Torchwood Hub."

Despite the fact that this clearly meant that she was telling the truth, I clenched my jaw at her words as a wave of emotion flooded through me. It took me by surprise; as far as I knew, I had absolutely no reason to be jealous of the girl.

"Right…" I waited for her to expand.

Lucie smiled. "Captain Jack Harkness, Gwen Cooper, Doctor Martha Jones and Mickey Smith; the Torchwood Three team. The Hub hasn't long been rebuilt after it was destroyed when a bomb was placed in Jack's stomach in an attempt to cover up Earth's involvement with a species called the 456 in the 1960's who tried to steal Earth's children. After that, Jack and Gwen were involved in the whole Miracle Day chaos and haven't long been back in Cardiff – just long enough to rebuilt Torchwood and put together their new team."

It was all I could do not to show how surprised I was by her words. Then I thought about it realistically. She could have found out that information from anywhere; well, almost anywhere. Well, if she had access to classified files. While that was unlikely, it wasn't impossible.

Again the girl smiled, looking at me as though she could read my mind. "I could have found that out from somewhere else, right?" She asked knowingly. I narrowed my eyes slightly and nodded curtly. "But I also know that the key you wear on a chain around your neck is your key to the TARDIS and that when you're trying to sneak in and out of your cell in Stormcage you struggle to reach the key because your Mum is taller than you and she hid it."

Now I was angry. I glared at her. Realising that the reason I was angry was because she knew more about me than I knew about her, I tried to calm myself down. Taking several deep breaths, I nodded.

"Fine. You know me." I admitted with a shrug. "Well… seeing as I told you to meet me here I'm guessing we need to actually go into the Hub."

Lucie grinned. "Invisible lift or Tourist Information Centre?"

"Lift." I said, slightly annoyed by her knowledge.

Together we descended into the Hub. Jack came out of his office at the sight of us, beaming broadly. I jumped off the step before it touched down and hugged him tightly. As usual he swung me round in a bear hug.

"Hey, titch." He chuckled as I disentangled myself and stepped away to hug Gwen as well. She laughed and made the usual comments about whether I'd grown or done something with my hair. I responded with questions about Rhys and Anwen.

"Where are Micky and Martha?" I asked, glancing around for any sign of the other two members of Torchwood Three.

"On a job." Gwen said, giving me another tight hug. "Tea?"

As she went to the kitchen, Jack turned to us expectantly. "Now then, to what do we owe the pleasure? Lucie says you asked her to meet you here."

My first thought was that it sounded as though my godfather already knew the girl. "You know each other?"

"Yes, yes." Jack said impatiently. "But that's not important at the moment. What is important is what you're doing here."

Shaking my head I sighed and shrugged. "I really have no idea."


	57. Shooting Stars 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Shooting Stars**

I shifted uncomfortably on the hard chair in the boardroom. Jack called it the boardroom to make it sound important. Gwen was going through a list of suspicious events that might need Torchwood investigation, spreading the papers out around her. Glancing up, she gave me a brief grin before her attention was captured once more and she returned to the task.

The girl who seemed to know so much about me, Lucie, was sitting on the edge of the table with her back to us. I stared at her for a moment, trying to work out whether or not I should trust her. All the evidence pointed to yes – she had to be someone from my future with all that knowledge – but I still couldn't bring myself to fully relax around her.

Slipping out of the chair I made my way out of the room and down the stairs. Micky was sitting at one of the stations tapping away at the computer monitor in front of him. A quick glance told me that he was messing around with the security system.

"I'd alter the frequency; maybe increase the waves by three?" I suggested with a smirk.

Micky grinned at me and shook his head. "Geek."

"Loser." I shot back, grinning.

Then I walked past the medical bay where Martha was examining the latest body brought back to the Hub. She glanced up at me and smiled.

"How's the Doctor?" She asked, returning her gaze to the creature on the table in front of her.

I jumped down the steps to stand beside her, looking at the body. My lip curled up in disgust as I examined it. It was a humanoid, but with longer than average arms, a bulbous head and a bloated stomach. Gingerly I prodded it and was disgusted to find that it felt just like poking a jelly.

"Eurgh!" I exclaimed before I could stop myself. "Oh… he's fine. Last time I saw him he had a new companion. Can't remember her name… another blonde."

Martha laughed softly as I wandered away, looking for Jack. In the end I found him down in the vaults checking on the Weevils. They backed away from the doors as I approached the cells. I'm always fascinated by the creatures and their reactions.

"Uncle Jack… who's that girl?" I asked softly, aware that he hadn't reacted to the fact that I was here. He jumped slightly.

"Wha- Oh… Evie."

I grinned. "Who else calls you Uncle Jack?"

"Good point!" He agreed, chuckling.

"So? Who is she? Lucie?"

Jack looked at me seriously and gave a little smile. "All I know is that you introduced her to us a while back and we've seen her a couple of times since then. She's pretty good for a civilian."

I sighed in exasperation. Then I jumped at the sound of footsteps on the steps and turned quickly. With my hair flying loose around my face, I almost missed the small smirk on Jack's face. Almost. I thumped him on the chest for laughing at my surprise.

"Evie? Jack?" Lucie called into the vault. Her feet appeared before the rest of her. "There's something you've got to see."

We exchanged a look, before running up the steps and back into the main part of the Hub. Gwen, Mickey and Martha were all gathered around one of the monitors, watching whatever was happening on the screen. By the sounds of it, they were watching a news report and, sure enough, as soon as we reached them we could clearly see a reporter standing in the bay staring up at the sky. Tens, possibly hundreds, of shooting stars were filling the sky.

"That doesn't look good." Jack muttered, folding his arms over his chest and standing in what I recognised as his ready-for-action pose.

"Maybe it actually IS just shooting stars?" Mickey suggested hopefully.

The rest of us turned to look at him, every single one of us raising an eyebrow at his words. No one bothered to dignify his question with a comment, but jumped to action moving around the Hub in a flurry of activity. I moved to Gwen's side, studying the readings that she was looking at one the monitor in front of her. There was a massive fluctuation in the readings of rift activity.

"Here…" Gwen pointed at one of the lines on the screen. "Massive spikes in rift activity."

I nodded slowly, quickly doing calculations in my mind. "According to this, each spike lasts between 2 and 4 seconds and they occur every 32 seconds. Jack, look… have you ever seen anything like this before?"

"No. Have you?" He asked, moving to stand between us, resting a hand on the small of each of our backs as he leant in towards the screen.

"I have." Lucie said quietly, making me jump. I'd completely forgotten about her in all the excitement.

"What is it?" Martha demanded, glancing across from her own desk.

The girl stood in front of the screen, Jack shoving me slightly to the side so that she could get closer. I narrowed my eyes a little, but knew that she was more use in this situation because she'd seen the phenomenon before. She was silent for a moment or two, staring at the screen with her head on one side.

"Those trails are the warning flares of the Grezorian Battle Fleet." Lucie said, turning to look at the five faces staring at her. I raised an eyebrow, crossing my arms over my chest. Lucie smirked. Jack, catching her brief glance in my direction looked at me as well and sighed.

"Claws away, titch." He muttered. "This isn't a competition."

"Whatever." I muttered, bitter that he'd told me off like a child.

"Go on, Lucie. What's a Grezorian Battle Fleet?" Gwen pushed, furrowing her eyebrows at Jack slightly as she took in my defensive pose.

"It's the battle fleet of the Grezorians –" I started.

Mickey laughed. "No shit!"

"I wasn't finished!" I complained, determined at get my knowledge in first. "They're a species from the Hetduton Network; warriors. They send out the warning flares and if there's no response they assume that the planet is easy to invade."

"So… all we need to do is send a reply." Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged. "I guess so. It's worth a shot anyway, right?"

"Literally." Jack joked.

I rolled my eyes and tried to supress a smirk as he jumped to one of the computers and started typing. I had no idea what he was doing, but all of a sudden several flares shot skywards on the picture we were all looking at. For a moment I was full of doubt, but no more of the shooting stars appeared in the sky. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly and we waited. Five minutes passed, and then ten. Mickey gave a shout and pointed at the radar screen which clearly showed that the incoming spacecraft were retreating.

"And that's it?" Martha asked in disbelief. I grinned and opened my mouth to answer.

"Sure is." Lucie cut in before I could speak.

I'd had enough. Smiling at the others and sending goodbye's in their directions, I pulled the girl to the lift and out into the crisp Cardiff air. Once outside I strode quickly away from the Hub. I heard Lucie's deep sigh of exasperation and then her quick footsteps following me across the ground.

"What?" She demanded, catching up with me.

"What are you doing here, really? I didn't need you to tell me about the Grezorian Battle Fleet or how to deal with it, so why are you here?" I demanded angrily.

Lucie smiled and reached a hand into the small bag she had across her shoulders. She pulled out a small box and pushed it into my hands. I glanced down at the box and started to open it. The material was silky and smooth, but there seemed to be an unnatural sheen in the material that was hypnotising. Gently Lucie laid her hand over mine and shook her head.

"Not yet. You told me to tell you not to open the box until you get to the Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade. Apparently that's very important."

I sighed. "Did I say anything else? Or was I being as evasive and annoying as usual?"

Lucie laughed and shrugged. "You didn't say much else. Just that it might seem like you met him too early, but there's always a reason for everything."

"Cryptic as ever, then." I laughed. She grinned. "How old are you?"

"Sixteen. And you're seventeen."

"How did you–?" I started. Then I realised and smirked. "I told you when to meet me."

"You did." Lucie agreed. She started walking backwards away from me, pushing back the sleeve of her jacket slightly. "I've got to go. I'll see you soon."

"Wait!" I commanded, but without warning her entire being seemed to twist inwards on itself and vanish in a small sphere of white light. I shook my head, staring at the spot the girl had been handing on. "That was odd…."

Then I glanced back down at the box in my hand, contemplating opening it. Changing my mind I tucked it carefully into my pocket, zipped it up and headed into the Vortex back towards Stormcage.

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><p><em><strong>Yay! I finally updated! Sorry about the delay guys! And thank you, to you lot for still being here, commenting and reading. It means so much! :)<strong>_


	58. 2B

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: 2B**

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hey guys! **__**This is a really different chapter because it's written from River's point of view again. It was written in response to a prompt from **__**NaviRebel16, who suggested a scene, '**__between the future Doctor and River when he hands her Evie's envelope. They could have a convo about how Evie has grown.__**'**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: [Evie is 20]

Location: The Stormcage Facility

Date: –

* * *

><p>I glanced up from the book I was reading on the ancient Phiptos Race on the Seventh Outer Bale of Sha to see the Doctor leaning casually against the bars to my cell. I smiled and leapt quickly off the bed to greet him. In seconds he had opened the door and was holding me tightly, pressing his lips against mine.<p>

We stayed that way for a couple of moments, before I pulled back and looked him up and down, tilting my head to one side.

"You look older." I said carefully staring into his eyes. He smiled and shook his head, breaking the gaze and moving to sit on the bed. "What's wrong?"

"Where's Evie? Is she alright?" He asked, ignoring my hand that was resting on his leg. Instead, he put his hands on my upper arms and looked seriously at me.

I smiled and nodded. "Yes, what…?"

"You'll find out." He reached inside his jacket and pulled out a TARDIS blue envelope. I smiled, recognising it at once. "Can you give this to her? I'm sure this is the right time… she's twenty, isn't she? Where is she?"

"Calm down." I laughed, patting his face gently before taking the envelope from him and turning it over in my hands. '2B' was written on the flap in bold, silver lettering. I remembered that my envelope had said '2' and smiled. "She's with you and Mum. The last time you saw her was on her birthday, if that helps? You took her on some kind of prate adventure."

He grinned. "Ahhh! Yes, I know where she is, now. And before she says anything… those fang marks in her neck are absolutely nothing to do with me." My mouth dropped open and my face clouded in apprehension at what sort of state Evie was going to return home in. "NOT my fault, remember?"

"Alright! It's not your fault…" I said with a smirk.

The Doctor sighed. "You don't believe me, do you?"

"No, not really!"

"Well it wasn't. Anyway… how is Evie? I haven't seen her, or you, in so long." He said, sadness creeping into his eyes. I took a deep breath and stroked his cheek gently. His eyes closed for a moment. "I missed you both."

"We missed you." I told him softly. "Especially Evie… even if she doesn't really know why."

"Has she started asking questions yet?"

I laughed softly, spotting the hopeful look in his eyes. "I think she's made up her mind that either you or Jack is her father, but she doesn't really want to know."

"Jack?" The Doctor demanded, looking incredulous.

"Well… you know… there are similarities. And he has always been like a second father to her. She adores him." The Doctor grumbled slightly at my words and I smiled. "She adores you too. Besides, she doesn't know why Jack and I fell out. It could easily have been something to do with him being her father."

"You need to set her straight soon." He said, slightly sulkily. I grinned.

"Hmmm…" I said thoughtfully, tilting my head to one side and looking at him under my eyelashes. Instantly a flush crept across his face in the most adorable way. "I think you might need to persuade me to do that."

He grinned and leant forwards. Before he could kiss me, however, there was a slight flash and Evie appeared, with perfect timing as usual; something else she had inherited from her father, along with the inability to take suggestions and a stubborn refusal of any offered help.

The Doctor jumped and leapt away from me, his face splitting into a broad grin as his brain caught up with his eyes and he realised who had just appeared. I barely managed to contain my disappointment at my daughter's poor timing, but smiled anyway, relieved that she seemed safe, at least.

"Evie!" He almost shouted, pulling her into a tight hug. Over his shoulder, Evie raised her eyebrows at me questioning his behaviour.

I laughed and stood up, putting my hands on his shoulders and steering him towards the cell door. "I think it's time you were going."

The Doctor blinked at me disappointedly, wondering why I was trying to get rid of him already. I tried to signal for him to come back later, or earlier, but he didn't seem to be taking the hint. Rolling my eyes, I turned back to smile at Evie.

"Hey, Doc." She called after him, using his most hated nickname. The grin on her face reminded me of when she'd been little and was doing something she knew she definitely shouldn't have been. I couldn't help smiling as well.

The Doctor sighed in exasperation. "I'm not one of the seven dwarves."

"Maybe not, but they had better dress sense. Maybe you should ask them for fashion tips?" Evie laughed. Even I couldn't suppress a giggle at her words.

Stopping on his way back towards the TARDIS, the Doctor whirled around to face her, looking outraged at her comment. "Bow ties are cool! I keep telling you but you just won't listen. Besides, you can talk! Who goes around wearing a ripped vest top that is frankly obscene? Honestly, you let your daughter out like that?"

"She's worn worse, sweetie, on the 'obscenity' scale." I said with a small shrug, running my eyes over Evie's outfit and seeing the true extent to the wear-and-tear of an adventure with the Doctor properly. Those clothes were completely ruined. "But generally when she comes home in that kind of state she's been somewhere with you. Last time she went off with you she came back soaked from head to toe with sea water and a massive great wound on her leg."

"You know… the pirates and that virtual doctor. It was supposed to be my birthday treat but it went a bit wrong… remember? Anyway, Mum, all I'm going to say is if he ever offers to take you to Venice say no. Too many Vampire-like fish creatures." Evie gabbled. At least the Doctor had the good grace to look a little abashed at her words. Either that or he was remembering a different version of events. It wouldn't be the first time he'd altered a memory in his head.

Then his face broke into a beaming smile. "Ahhh! I remember that! It was a long, long time ago! Signora Calvierri and the "Sisters of the Water". Is that where you've just come from? Now I think about it I remember you ripping your top… you were trying to escape from the Signora's son, weren't you? Didn't you fall out of a window or something?"

"It was that or get turned into one of those… things." Evie said calmly, showing a patience that I didn't know she had. The Doctor was clearly trying to wind her up; teasing her about the events of their adventure.

"What?" I asked, a little annoyed that he'd let her get into such a dangerous situation; whether she could handle it or not.

Evie sighed, downplaying it quickly in an attempt to reassure me. I wasn't buying her quick u-turn for a moment. "Oh, you know, he needed someone on the inside… Amy and I fitted the bill. Anyway, it went a bit wrong and we ended up strapped to chairs having our blood drunk by Vampire fish things."

Even though she knew who Amy and Rory were, Evie couldn't bring herself to call the young versions of Mum and Dad anything other than by their Christian names. I glared at them both for a moment, then I remembered what the Doctor had said about fang marks. In one fluid motion I moved to Evie's side and swept the dark curls away from her neck, revealing two puncture marks. Anger and annoyance rushing through me in equal measure, I exhaled sharply and shook my head, my eyes presumably flashing dangerously at the Doctor considering the look that had just appeared on his face.

"I can't trust you with anything important, can I, sweetie?" I snapped at him. He looked sheepish and rubbed the back of his neck. Then I sighed and softened my tone. "Anyway, you'd really better go."

"Eurgh. Children present, you know." Evie groaned as I kissed the Doctor, pushing him closer to the TARDIS. He wound his hands into my hair, deepening the kiss. Laughing, I pulled away and turned to face my daughter.

"And don't we know it." I told her, smirking. She rolled her eyes and groaned again.

Moving away from the blue box and back towards her, I put an arm around her shoulders and together we watched the Doctor wave and close the TARDIS doors. I sighed, wondering when I'd see him next and whether he'd understood the hint I was trying to send him. I severely doubted it.

Seconds later he poked his head out of the police box again and pointed at Evie. "If you fancy another adventure… Provence, France on June 2nd 1890. We met Vincent Van Gogh… quite an adventure!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>A couple of hours later River was alone in the cell. Evie had been given her envelope and set out to meet the others in America. Her mother sighed and tried to return to the book she'd been reading before the Doctor's arrival. She found that it was impossible, however, and moved to the window, staring through the bars until she heard a familiar wheezing sound behind her.<strong>_

_**River smirked. "I wondered how long it would take you to get the hint." She said as the Doctor wrapped his arms around her waist.**_


	59. Sticks and Stones

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Sticks and Stones**

Age: 20

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: December 2008 AD

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><p><em><strong>Evie rolled her eyes for what felt the twentieth time that evening. She had persuaded the Doctor to take a detour on their way to Yixtrus Five for Christmas so that she could drop her Christmas presents off at the Torchwood Hub. River was complaining at the prospect of having to come into contact with Jack who she'd been angry with for as long as her daughter could remember.<strong>_

_**Well, Evie told herself, that wasn't strictly true. Her mother had been angry with Jack since she had been about fifteen. Five years was a very long time; especially seeing as Jack had pretty much been a father to her for most of her life. **_

_**Sighing the young woman led the way out of the TARDIS, laden with packages, hoping that her mother wasn't going to start a raging battle with her godfather this time. The last time they'd visited it had just been embarrassing.**_

* * *

><p>"Mum, seriously. Whatever went on between you and Uncle Jack it happened about five years ago!" I snapped, piling the last present onto the pile. "You need to get over it!"<p>

"That's easy for you to say!" She snapped back, flicking the box I'd just balanced so that it dropped to the ground once more. I glared at her. "You have no idea what happened."

"Exactly! Because no one will tell me!"

"Because it's none of your business!" She retorted.

I exhaled sharply. "Actually, seeing as it's been affecting my life for the last five years I think it IS my business."

The Doctor glanced between us nervously. He hated it when Mum and I argued, mainly because things could get dangerous. The last time we'd argued this violently half the TARDIS console had been damaged when Mum had completely lost it and fired a stunning shot at me and missed. I'd immediately retaliated and hit the console, sending sparks all over the room. After that Dad had practically thrown us into a room to calm down.

"Well… it's complicated." Mum snapped, moving around the console out of my line of vision and making the Doctor flinch nervously.

I screamed in frustration. "You are impossible! I just want a simple answer to a simple question. Why are you angry with Jack?"

"There are several reasons."

It was all I could do not to scream again, or reach for my laser gun. She was so infuriating that it drove me insane.

"We've arrived." The Doctor informed us a moment or two later, cutting through the ominous silence that had settled on the console room.

Without speaking, or even looking at Mum, I marched through the TARDIS doors and into the Torchwood Hub. To my immense disappointment, I didn't get the traditional warm greeting I was used to because only Ianto was present in the building. I grinned at him nevertheless and gave him a tight hug; it was very odd seeing him so alive when I knew that within months he would be gone.

"Hi Ianto." Mum said warmly, smiling at him. A little awkwardly, as he usually was around Mum – knowing that she didn't like Jack – Ianto returned the greeting and rushed off to make the drinks.

Unable to resist, I raised an eyebrow at Mum. "See… you've scared Ianto off." She just snorted and wandered towards one of the tables in the Hub that was laden with artefacts.

"Oh, shut up."

"I'm going to ask Jack when he gets back." I decided out loud, dropping into the chair behind a desk and spinning it slowly with my foot on the desk leg. "This must be far harder for him because he never knows what version of you is going to turn up. And he'll definitely tell me."

Mum scoffed. "He won't!"

"Wanna bet?" I asked waving a small, silver tube at her. Mum's face darkened and she took a threatening step towards me.

Grinning I was out of the chair and on the stairs to Jack's office before she had reached the desk.

"Evie Song, get back down here this minute!" Mum screamed at me. From the kitchen there was a clatter and Ianto's nervous face appeared in the doorway. "Give me back the lipstick! You CANNOT use that on Jack!"

"Make me." I sing-songed, grinning broadly. I had absolutely NO intention of using the hallucinogenic lipstick on my godfather, but my parents didn't need to know that. "If you won't tell me what's gone on, then I'll make Jack tell me. I'm so fed up of all of this."

Mum looked as though she was about to shout something back at me, but Dad laid a hand on her arm and shook his head. Her eyes darkened and she rounded on him, annoyed that he was apparently sticking up for me. Her tirade was blocked, however, as the Hub alarm went off and the main door opened. Jack and Gwen entered, carrying a pizza box and brushing the last remnants of snow off their jackets.

"Doctor!" Jack exclaimed, spotting my parents. He beamed and approached them, stopping quickly at the look on Mum's face.

"Uhhh… Jack." Dad said, looking uncomfortable. Lowering his voice, he glanced briefly towards me at the top of the stairs by Jack's office. I arched an eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest. "Just a friendly warning… Evie has the hallucinogenic lipstick and she wants answers." Jack looked slightly confused. "About you and River."

"I can hear you, you know." I snapped, going into Jack's office and slamming the door. Screaming again in frustration, I dropped into his big leather chair and curled my arms around my legs. I knew I was acting like a child, but I hated things being kept from me; especially when they had such a massive impact on my life.

For a moment or two I played with the tube of lipstick, twisting it in my fingers and considering my next move. I could easily do what I'd threatened, but I wasn't sure how well it would work. My ears picked up the sound of footsteps on the metal staircase and I applied the lipstick, still not knowing what I was intending to do.

"Evie?" Gwen called, opening the door. I couldn't help sighing with relief that it wasn't Jack. "Cariad, what's the matter?"

"What happened between Mum and Jack?" I asked quickly, almost forcing the words out. "Don't lie to me, Gwen. I just want to know."

She sighed and sat down on the edge of the desk, twisting my chair so that I was facing her properly. Raising an eyebrow at the tube of lipstick in my hand, Gwen reached forwards and plucked it out of my grip, putting it firmly out of my reach. I smiled.

"I'm already wearing it." I told her with a grin. "Don't worry; I'm not intending to jump you."

Gwen laughed. "Oh, Evie… you're so… I don't know. Sometimes you seem far too mature for your own good. Other times… you're just like a child." Noticing that I was getting annoyed again, she reached out and squeezed my knee. "Oi, stop it! Sometimes there are things that happen that affect you, but that you don't need to know about."

"What are you trying to tell me?" I asked firmly.

"This is between Jack and River."

"Well clearly it's not. If it was just between Jack and Mum then why is it that I keep getting into massive rows with her if I so much as mention him. It's almost as though I've done something as well." I muttered under my breath. Gwen's head snapped up from where she was examining her nails and she stared at me. "What? H-Have I done something? Is all this something to do with me?"

She sighed and leant her head backwards, staring at the ceiling. "They're going to kill me for this." She said, talking more to herself than me.

"Just tell me!" I demanded, moving towards her and gripping her hand.

"Evie… I don't…" She started. I arched an eyebrow and Gwen sighed. "Fine. I'm not totally sure what happened… I think it's more a series of events. One of the reasons your Mum was angry with Jack was about Donna."

"Because they were worried about whether he was serious?" I asked, remembering the conversations I'd had after the revelation a few months ago.

"Exactly. And, considering what Jack's like, I don't blame her. But he's different with Donna." Gwen said. "But then there were other things… Don't get annoyed, but I don't know much; just odd details."

"Tell me!" I repeated urgently. I finally felt as though I was about to understand.

"Something happens in the future… your future. I don't know what it is, but your Mum was absolutely furious."

I screwed up my face. "But… surely she'd be angry with the future Jack? This version of Jack doesn't even– " Gwen shook her head and I stopped talking quickly.

"It's more complicated than that." She said softly. "Something happened in the past, something to do with some children, which Jack was involved in." I narrowed my eyes, wondering if she was talking about the 456. But if she was, what did that have to do with me? Also, how was that in the future? "Apparently he met this version of River and did something that… well… caused a few issues for you."

"But… how would Mum know? I mean… I'm almost always with her? Surely I'd know if Jack had screwed up my life?"

Gwen smiled. "I don't know, sweetheart. I've told you what I know."

"It makes no sense." I muttered. "So, she's angry with him for something that hasn't even happened yet?"

"Apparently."

"Typical!" I snorted, sighing. A shout came from outside and Gwen and I looked at each other, both trying to hide slightly amused smirks. Realising that we were both doing this, we grinned and stood up.

"Not a word, alright?" Gwen told me, raising an eyebrow. I nodded and hugged her tightly.

"Thank you for this." I said quietly. "I just needed to know something."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie handed out her presents as though nothing had gone on in the office. When prompted, she simply said that Gwen had calmed her down and made her realise that she was acting like a spoilt child. The woman had grinned and looked down, letting her hair fall over her face at the words. <strong>_

"_**Bye, Uncle Jack." Evie said, reaching up to give him a kiss on the cheek. Unfortunately for him, he turned his head at just the wrong moment and their lips connected. At once a dazed look appeared on his face. "Oops…"**_

"_**You're wearing the lipstick, aren't you?" River demanded, sighing deeply. Sheepishly her daughter nodded. River rolled her eyes and held out her hand for the tube. "He'll be fine after a lie down. Sadly…"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: **__**This chapter was written in response to a prompt from **__**Snowy702, who wondered whether there should be a chapter, '**__figuring out why River hates Jack so much.__**' I know it doesn't COMPLETELY fulfil the prompt – and leaves more questions – but there will be answers to those questions at some point!**_

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;)**_


	60. Take the Breaks Off

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Take the Breaks Off**

Age: 23

Location: The TARDIS

Date: 14th August 2010

"_**Girls, I've got to pop in to see Sarah-Jane… coming?" The Doctor called into the corridors of the TARDIS. Immediately both his daughters poked their heads out of their adjoining rooms and nodded. "Two minutes!"**_

"Are you sure your Dad won't mind?" Luke asked nervously as Jenny and I led him quickly to the blue police box parked on the corner of Bannerman Road.

Jenny grinned. "Of course he won't!"

I unlocked the door and went inside, patting the inside of the door as I made my way towards the console. The TARDIS hummed softly in expectation as this new person appeared inside.

"Luke Smith, welcome to the TARDIS." I exclaimed, opening my arms and turning quickly on the spot. I smirked in satisfaction as I noticed him staring around in delight. "Bigger on the inside, travels through time and space, etc., etc."

"It's amazing!" He breathed, moving to the console and running his hands over the controls.

"She sure is." Jenny agreed giggling. She shot me a look and I winked in return, knowing instantly what she was thinking. "Fancy learning to fly her?"

Luke glanced between us, open-mouthed. "Can I? Really? Won't the Doctor mind?"

"As long as we don't do anything drastic Dad won't even know." I assured him with a soft laugh. "Come on then, old girl; let's show Lukey-boy what you can do!"

Jenny grinned. "Besides, you're practically family… like our cousin or something."

He laughed as well, watching carefully as I took the breaks off and moved around the console, sending the time machine whirling away into the Vortex. Once we were safely parked out of harm's way, Jenny and I set about explaining various buttons and levers and handles to the teenager.

"… and this one…" I said, pointing to a bright yellow lever that was set in a groove a couple of inches diagonally downwards before it veered off horizontally to the right, "is the feed reversal loop."

"What does that do?" Luke asked interestedly, reaching out and touching it as he had done to every control we'd explained to him – although he was careful not to move them out of position.

I glanced at Jenny, my eyebrows furrowed slightly. She shrugged. "I have no idea." I admitted with a grin. "I just know that you move it to the end of the diagonal bit with mild Vortex turbulence and right along to the other end of the groove for severe turbulence."

"Turbulance?" Luke asked, laughing softly. "Like on an aeroplane?"

"Exactly." Jenny said with a nod, moving around him and tapping a knob to her left. "Look here… this knob is labelled one to ten. If it goes any further than six we're in trouble. Any further than eight and we're not the only ones in trouble. Keep an eye on this… it moves itself."

Luke looked a little alarmed. "What does it do?"

"Something to do with pressure or something." I told him vaguely with a shrug and a waft of my hand. "Right, the basics… landing lever. Make sure it's fully released, so basically all the way up, before you attempt to go anywhere and make sure it's secured down before you leave the TARDIS."

"What happens if you don't?"

"She floats off to god knows where!" I told him with a smirk. "I've lost count of how many times Dad's almost done it!"

"Breaks…" Jenny continued, tapping a panel beside Luke's right elbow. "Dad tends to leave them on, which causes that weird wheezing noise. The TARDIS really doesn't like it though, do you old girl? That's why she needs so many rests. Dad thinks it's because River upsets her." We both laughed at this idea and Luke, looking a little confused, joined in softly.

I tapped the scanner screen, turning it so that we could see the monitor properly. "This is where all the information you'd ever need is shown. These buttons here…" I swept my hand over several rows of knobs and dials and buttons and keys, "are the ones you use to bring up different types of information. For example…" I pressed several buttons and a graph appeared on the screen, "this is the current atmosphere outside the TARDIS."

"But… the graph's empty?" Luke pointed out in bewilderment.

"Duh, we're in the Vortex." I said, rolling my eyes. "There IS no atmosphere outside."

"Oh… right…"

Jenny smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry. Now… you use these dials here to input the coordinates of where you want to go… and then the date… time…" She set a course for the corner of Bannerman Road two minutes after they'd left. "Right… let's see if you were paying attention."

Luke looked terrified as Jenny and I took a step backwards and left him alone at the console. He turned to stare at us, wide-eyed. We grinned.

"I'm just joking!" She said, putting an arm around his shoulders as I ruffled his hair. "Come on, we'll help you."

"Right, first thing's first, Lukey…" I said with a grin. "Landing lever."

"Make sure it's fully released?" He asked, checking before he touched it. I nodded. "All the way up."

"Good… now, see that blue button?" Jenny asked, pointing at a series of blue buttons which decreased in size from left to right.

"Which one?"

"The fourth from the right. Press it four times and then pull it all the way out." She ordered. I watched carefully as Luke did as he was told, making sure I'd heard four clicks before he extended it so that it stuck several inches out of the control panel. "Fabulous."

While Jenny was giving Luke orders, I turned the scanner screen towards me, running checks and making sure everything within the TARDIS was working properly. It wasn't until Jenny called for Luke to pull the break lever down that I spotted the big mistake.

"Jen…" I muttered, rolling my eyes at her and sighing deeply. "You've done it again."

"What?" She asked, looking confused.

"You put the date and time in the wrong way around."

Jenny pulled a face and moved to look over my shoulder. "Huh?"

"Look… this says 14:08:2010PM on 2.56.22, instead of 2:56:22PM on 14.08.2010." I pointed out with an exasperated sigh. "You've taken us back to eight minutes and 2010 seconds past 2 in the afternoon in 22AD. Brilliant!"

"You mean I've actually gone back in time?" Luke asked excitedly. I nodded, distractedly.

"I didn't even know you could have 2010 seconds."

Jenny grinned. "Call yourself the daughter of a Time Lord?"

"Oh… shut up!" I laughed, swatting at her hand which was prodding me playfully in the side. "Hey, Luke, wanna go check out 1st century Britain?"

"Yes!" He exclaimed without hesitation.

"Know anything about it?" I asked him, putting my hands on my hips. He shook his head and I grinned. Glancing sideways I noticed that Jenny was wearing exactly the same expression as me; her eyes flashing with excitement. "Good, me either! Just the way I like it."

My sister nodded in agreement. "This way makes it so much more interesting."

"And exciting." I added.

"D'you mean dangerous?" Luke asked with a grin. Jenny and I looked at each other, before turning to him and answering in unison.

"Isn't that the same thing?"

_**A/N: **__**This chapter was written in response to a prompt from **__**Atanaa**_, **'**write something with Evie, Jenny and Luke Smith from the Sarah Jane Adventures please? :) Luke learning to drive Tardis could be fun…**'**

_**If anyone else has any prompts just let me know ;)**_

_**Also, **__Misery Loves Sarah__** asked what the word 'Cariad' means after Gwen called Evie it in the last chapter. Basically I thought I'd explain here in case anyone else was wondering. **_

_**Cariad (pronounced 'carry-add') is a Welsh term of endearment which means 'beloved' or 'love' or 'sweetheart', that sort of thing. My Nain (Welsh word for Grandmother, pronounced 'nine') used to call me cariad all the time and my Dad does when he's in a good mood! I think it's pretty much my favourite word - Welsh or English!**_

**__**__

_**Also, sorry for the lack of line breaks, but for some reason the editor is being really weird and won't let me put them in... I'll try and sort it, but for now this will have to do!**_


	61. SpatialTemporal Displacement

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Spatial-Temporal Displacement**

Age: 24

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: April 2052

Mum and the Doctor had been gone for several weeks.

Just before they'd left, I'd come down with some kind of virus and decided to stay at home with my nice comfy bed and a stack of films to keep me company. Gran and Gramps had offered to pop in, but I'd advised them against it; worried that they'd catch what it was that I had.

Gran had taken a bit of persuasion to stay away after the solitary visit she paid. She was adamant that I was far too skinny and needed feeding up; especially because I was ill. Finally I'd managed to convince her that there was no point in her coming round and cooking for me because I had no appetite and anything I did eat came straight back up anyway.

The night before they were due back, I noticed a red mark on the back of my right hand. It looked as though I'd been bitten by an insect. With a sigh, I gave it a half-hearted rub and promptly forgot about it.

The next morning, I was rudely awakened by the curtains being wrenched open and sunlight streaming into my bedroom. I groaned and pulled the duvet over my head, blocking out the light that I'd been hiding from since my parents had left.

"Evie, baby, it's Mum." Mum said, although she didn't need to. No one else would be sadistic enough to almost blind me with sunlight at a stupidly early hour of the morning. I mumbled something along those lines and she must have caught some of it, because she sighed. "It's nearly lunchtime and I'm not sadistic, I'm worried."

"Same thing in your case." I muttered rolling over to face her. The movement felt very strange. My body felt much heavier than normal.

"What's wrong?" Mum demanded, obviously seeing my thoughts on my face.

"I dunno… I just feel… heavy."

Rolling her eyes slightly, as though she thought I was being over dramatic, Mum grabbed the corner of my duvet and flung it back. "Honestly, I'm starting to think that you're just a complete hypochondriac and there's absolutely noth–" She stopped speaking abruptly and went white.

"Mum?" I said quickly, panicked by her behaviour. "What's wro–"

And then I stopped speaking as well because I could see instantly what the matter was. Somehow overnight my stomach had inflated to several times its usual size. It was absolutely massive. If I didn't know better I would have been convinced that I was nine months pregnant.

"Wow…" I muttered, not really knowing what else to say. My brain was in such shock that it didn't seem to be functioning at all, let alone at its normal rate.

"What…?" Mum seemed to be having the same problem.

We both stared at the bump for a long time, before she helped me to my feet and I went to stand in front of the full length mirror in the corner of my room. I turned so that I could examine in from every angle.

"Is this…? Are you…?" Mum asked, unable to finish the sentence.

I shook my head, wide-eyed. "This is nothing to do with me." I assured her.

"Then what…?"

"Hang on." I had a sudden thought. "This happened to Gwen, on her wedding day. It was a Nostrovite. But… I haven't seen anyone else for weeks… how could a Nostrovite have bitten me without me knowing?"

Lowering her hand-held computer device, Mum shook her head at me in confusion. "This isn't a Nostrovite egg. According to the readings, whatever it is growing inside you, it shares your DNA. This is your baby."

I almost fainted. "What? But… yesterday there was nothing there. If anything I was too skinny. I haven't… WHAT?"

"I think we need to get you into the TARDIS and let your father examine you properly." Mum said, trying to stay calm. She was failing at it quite miserably. "He might have a better idea of what's going on."

"Evie!" Dad exclaimed happily, not looking up from the scanner as Mum and I made our way through the TARDIS doors. I was huffing and puffing, not used to manoeuvring with such a massive stomach. "How are you feeling? Your Mother and I have–" He broke off abruptly as he rounded the corner of the console and looked at me properly. A look of dazed confusion crossed his face and his eyes flicked to Mum, looking for reassurance. "Was this some weird, bloating disease?"

"No…" Mum said slowly. "She's nine months pregnant."

"How?"

If I wasn't so freaked out by the whole situation, I would have found his question incredibly funny. As it was, I could barely manage a smirk in response. I lowered myself onto the seat beside the console and exhaled sharply.

"That's the question." Mum said pointedly, moving to the scanner and pulling the screen towards her. I could see that she was setting up scans and sat patiently, waiting for her to tell me what was going on.

"Exobiological insemination." Dad muttered pacing around. Mum and I both winced at the phrase. He could barely bring himself to look at me. I shifted awkwardly on the seat each time he passed. "Some species pass their eggs onto hosts by biting them. Have you got any bites?"

"I haven't seen anyone for weeks!" I protested. Sub-consciously I started rubbing the patch on the back of my hand that I'd noticed the night before. "But… I did see this, yesterday."

I held out my hand and the Doctor grabbed it, examining it closely. Then he dropped it abruptly and shook his head. The pacing resumed immediately.

"No, no." He muttered, waving his arms around wildly. "That's just an ordinary insect bite. No, there has to be something else… something bigger."

"According to these readings the DNA of the baby matches Evie's almost identically." Mum said, jabbing a finger at the screen. Dad jumped towards her, wrenching the handles so that he could see the readings as well.

"How is that possible?" He demanded, his voice higher than usual as he realised that Mum was right. I was starting to completely freak out now, wondering what had happened between last night and this morning that I couldn't remember. "RIVER!"

She jumped about a foot at his shriek. "What?"

"LOOK!"

Mum sighed as I ran, or rather shuffled, to her side and she wrapped an arm around me. "Again, sweetie, what?"

"There's a spatial-temporal displacement. See… here… this slightly gap in the readings." Dad pointed out, signalling where he was looking. Sure enough, there were odd spaces in the readings that didn't make sense. He laughed excitedly, putting his hands on Mum's cheeks before dancing around and patting my stomach. "Somewhere in the future, Evie's having a baby."

"What?" I demanded, annoyed that he suddenly seemed to be taking my situation so lightly. "Talk sense or go away."

"Evie… you… this you, standing here, aren't actually pregnant. There's been some kind of shift between two timelines and you're sharing the… well, the whole bump thing." He explained, not very clearly.

Mum and I exchanged a glance. "So, what can we do about it?" She demanded, folding her arms.

"Nothing. As soon as it's born, Evie will go back to normal."

I gaped at him, annoyed. "How long will that be?" I demanded.

He shrugged. "Not long… by the looks of you you're full term. A day or two maybe?"

"A– A day or two?" I screeched.

"It'll be fine." He assured me with a shrug. Then he grinned. "Hey! You're virus is gone, that's something, at least."

As he danced away humming to himself, clearly totally relaxed now he'd decided what the cause of my sudden condition was, I gaped after him. Mum shot a look at me, shaking her head.

"I'm actually going to kill him." I muttered.

She laughed. "At least you're not having a baby… yet."

I just pulled a face at her and contented myself in imagining all the ways that I could kill my father and get away with it.


	62. Palm Trees and Icicles 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Palm Trees and Icicles**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello lovelies :) This is going to be a multi-chapter part, so I thought I'd do this bit first before we get into the story! :) **_

_**Anyway, this chapter was written in response to a prompt from **__**ninjatechbackstage, who said that she, '**__would love to see a run-in with the 10th doctor, it can be something like time lines messing up or something, but River and Evie meet him before they  
>are supposed to or something.<em>_**'**_

_**So here goes! Hope you like it!**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 17

Location: Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade

Date: 92718.29/F

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Evie!" River called, scrambling after her daughter over the outcrop of rocks as the teenager disappeared into the distance. The archaeologist balanced on a boulder and glanced quickly at her hand-held computer. She groaned as she interpreted the readings. "Evie! Wait…"<strong>_

* * *

><p>I was ahead of Mum as we crossed the plains on the Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade. I could vaguely hear her calling my name and telling me to wait, but I just assumed she was doing her usual thing of worrying I'd hurt myself or get into some kind of difficult situation.<p>

We were on the hunt for a rare manuscript that had been presumed lost in the fifth rule of the Respilian Emperor, Drax. Mum had tracked it down to the Fifteenth Broken Moon and we were following the directions she'd worked out on her device. Apparently Mum's Vortex Manipulator hadn't been able to get us closer to the exact spot than a couple of miles.

So we'd been forced to walk. The terrain was uneven and rocky and I'd already twisted my ankle more times than I could count. It was my fault, I fully understood that, because I'd scrambled faster than was necessary being completely determined to beat Mum to the object.

Finally I completely lost the sound of Mum's voice. The only noises that filled my ears were the whooshing of the wind, the pattering of raindrops on the slabs of rock on the ground and an oddly familiar wheezing noise. I stopped abruptly, looking around in confusion.

A little way ahead of me, a blue police box started to materialise, gradually becoming more and more solid. I grinned and leapt from rock to rock towards it. In a matter of seconds it had completely materialised and the door opened. Instead of the floppy hair, tweed jacket and bowtie I was expecting to see, I was greeted by a man with messy hair, a pin-striped suit and a long brown coat.

"Oh great…" I muttered as the man emerged fully, looked around and then stood aside to let his companion out as well. The red-head beside him shaded her eyes with a hand, shivered and disappeared back inside the TARDIS, reappearing minutes later wearing a thick coat with a fur-lined hood.

"Hello!" The Doctor called, spotting me standing alone on my rock, watching him curiously. I jumped, realising that he was addressing me. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and strode casually in my direction. "I'm the Doctor."

I hesitated, glancing over my shoulder looking for a sign of Mum. I could just see her coming closer through the fog of the rain. Reluctantly I turned back to the Doctor, wondering what I was supposed to do.

"Don't mind him." The red-head I knew so well said with a warm smile. "He's not as strange as he looks. I'm Donna, by the way. What's your name?"

It was so odd talking to them without them having any idea of who I was. I couldn't say anything, just staring between them in bewilderment, terrified of saying anything that would complicate the situation, not to mention my entire life. We'd managed to screw up the timelines once again; but this time it wasn't my fault.

"Can you hear me?" Donna asked, a little confused that I hadn't made any sign that I'd even heard what she'd said. I nodded slowly, wishing Mum would hurry up. "There's no need to be shy… we won't hurt you."

I arched an eyebrow and smirked before I could stop myself. "I'd like to see you try…" I muttered, obviously louder than I'd intended because Donna grinned, apparently instinctively. "Oi! Pinstripe, quit bleeping me!"

The Doctor, who was surreptitiously trying to scan me with the sonic screwdriver, jumped at my words and hurriedly put the device back in his pocket. On went his glasses and he looked me up and down through narrowed eyes.

"Hey!" Mum called from behind me. "What are you-?"

She stopped as soon as she realised who I was talking to, her eyes flicking to me nervously. I gave a small shrug of my shoulders and a sharp shake of my head. Donna, apparently deciding she'd be able to get more sense out of Mum, or thinking she needed to explain why the Doctor was staring so intently at me, stepped forward with a smile.

"Hello, I'm Donna. This is the Doctor." She said warmly, smiling brightly at Mum, who looked bemused. "We were just having a chat with…"

"Amy." I said quickly, with an innocent smile. "Amy Jones."

Mum rolled her eyes at me for stealing her mother's name. She was obviously doing some quick thinking. "Doctor River Song, I'm an archaeologist. Amy's one of my students."

I looked at her as though she'd gone completely bonkers. She held out her hand and shook Donna's firmly before shooting the Doctor a wink and turning to survey the area. Almost as though she was ignoring them, Mum pulled out her hand-held computer once more and tapped at the screen, enlarging the map of the route. She tapped on the pulsing red dot before looking up at the scenery.

"Right… lovely to meet you both, but we'd better be off. Amy?" She said firmly, motioning to the left. I grinned and moved to her side.

"Hang on!" The Doctor called as we started heading away in the direction indicated on the map. Reluctantly we stopped and turned.

"Yes, can I help you?" Mum asked completely disinterestedly.

"I feel like we've met before." The Doctor said, looking at me. I shrugged and shook my head vaguely. For a few seconds, the Doctor's eyes bored into mine, but then he shrugged as well and smiled. "Where are you off to in such a hurry, Doctor Song?"

Mum and I exchanged a look as the Doctor closed the TARDIS doors firmly and sauntered closer, his hands pushed into his trouser pockets once more. Donna followed, keeping her eyes firmly on the slippery ground to prevent herself falling. She slipped on a particularly damp rock and I shot out a hand to stop her hitting the ground. The woman smiled gratefully.

"What's it to you, Doctor… Doctor who?" Mum asked cheekily. I looked away into the mist so that they wouldn't see the amused grin on my face.

"Oh, just the Doctor." He said, using a line that was obviously well practised. Remembering what I'd heard I decided that if Mum could have a little fun and tease him, I could as well.

"This is a funny place for a holiday." I pointed out innocently. "Or is it a honeymoon? That would make this an even weirder choice."

"Oh! No!" Donna started, glancing at the Doctor.

"We're not a couple." The Doctor said quickly, returning her glance and shaking his head firmly.

"No, definitely not a couple." Donna agreed.

I shrugged and turned away, unable to keep the grin off my face. "If you say so…"

Mum nudged me in the ribs. "Sorry about her, no manners." She said with a smile. "So… why are you here?"

"I asked first." The Time Lord said, almost childishly. I looked between them and rolled my eyes; even now they couldn't help themselves flirting.

After considering him for a moment, Mum seemed to settle on the truth. "We're looking for the Lost Manuscript of Emperor Drax of Respilian."

"But that's been lost for millennia."

"The clue's in the title…" Donna muttered and I grinned appreciatively. She caught my eye and smirked. Then she looked slightly confused as to her reaction.

"And soon it won't be lost anymore." Mum told him with a shrug. "Now, if you'll excuse us…"

"Eight eyes are better than four." The Doctor said cheerfully. "I love a lost Respilian manuscript, me. What about you, Donna?"

"Oh, absolutely." The red-head said firmly with a nod.

Mum glanced at me and smirked. "Right… come on then, but this is my mission and I'm in charge. You do what I say or else."


	63. Palm Trees and Icicles 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Palm Trees and Icicles**

As soon as we reached the coast – or rather where the land ended and the water began, seeing as there wasn't anything which could be classed a beach – the climate had changed drastically. Donna pulled off her heavy coat quickly and even the Doctor looked as though he was considering removing his overcoat. Mum and I shrugged off our jackets, tying them round our waists and continued without a fuss.

"Palm trees?" Donna asked in astonishment as we walked underneath the towering plants. "Back there the ground was made up of insanely big slabs of rock and here there are flippin' palm trees! What kind of mad planet is this?"

I laughed. "This is nothing! One planet we went to had bushes that grew marshmallows."

"Eurgh! I hate marshmallows." The woman confided, pulling a disgusted face.

"Me too!" I agreed.

"Oi!" Mum called over her shoulder, walking ahead and keeping one eye on the device in her hands. "We've got more important things to do than discuss whether or not you like marshmallows!"

I pulled a face at Donna, who grinned, before speeding up to walk with Mum. She looked sideways at me before glancing over her shoulder to check that we were far enough ahead that the other two wouldn't hear our conversation if we spoke in low voices.

"We screwed up again, didn't we?" I asked with a deep sigh. "This is too early in his timeline, let alone Donna's."

Mum shrugged. "It wasn't our fault… they weren't supposed to be here. Therefore I think it's perfectly reasonable to be of the opinion that they've messed up the timelines, not us."

I giggled. "Good point. That's our story and we're sticking to it, right?"

"Right!"

We carried on walking, turning away from the water and heading in land. The pulsing red dot which marked our destination seemed to be getting closer. Steadily the temperature seemed to be dropping and soon we were all shivering, even with our coats on.

About an hour since leaving the palm trees behind, we were trudging through thick drifts of snow. It was so cold that icicles began to form in our hair and on the fur trimming of Donna's coat. In front of me, my breath froze in mid-air, the tiny ice crystals shimmering and shining in the sunlight.

"OK…" I said to Donna, my teeth chattering so much that my words were barely understandable. "You were right… this is possibly the weirdest planet ever."

"I said it was mad." Donna told me with a grin.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine; it's the maddest planet ever! Honestly, Earth girl, you're so argumentative."

Donna fixed me with a curious look at my choice of words, so I just smiled innocently and sped up, leaving her to walk with the Doctor while I caught up with Mum. She looked at me and sighed, demanding to know what I'd done. Apparently the look on my face was enough to tell her that I'd put my foot in it, once again.

"Think before you speak, sweetie!" She ordered gently.

"I try! My mouth works faster than my brain sometimes, that's all!"

Mum laughed, shook her head and then glanced down at the screen in her hand. Abruptly she stopped, causing the Doctor to walk into her. There was a muffled groan on the impact and Mum smirked.

"At least wait until we're in the cave before you try anything, Doctor." She joked, causing him to blush and look very uncomfortable. Donna and I grinned at his obvious discomfort.

"Uhh… well… why have we stopped?" He asked, running a hand through his already messy hair and looking around.

Mum pointed at the ground just in front of her. "The entrance to the cave we need to go down is under that snowdrift. I hope you're good at shovelling snow with your hands."

As one, the Doctor and I groaned. Mum rolled her eyes and Donna looked confused.

"What? We're going down there?" She demanded. "Under the snow? Are you insane?"

"Mmmhmmm…" Mum agreed, starting to move the snow out of the way with her hands. I helped, using my fingers to burrow into the pile.

It took a long time to reach the ground without any shovels or spades. Our fingers were in serious danger of getting frostbite. Eventually, though, we managed it. Donna called out in excitement as her hands struck something solid and the Doctor swept the last of the snow away to reveal what looked rather like a trap door. Grinning, he wrenched it up and secured it out of the way safely. The last thing we needed was the door swinging shut and snow falling over it and trapping us.

"Which way now?" I asked, straining my eyes to see along the almost pitch black tunnel under the ground.

"This way." Mum said firmly, setting off to the right.

The Doctor immediately turned left and walked straight into the wall of the tunnel. Donna sighed loudly in exasperation and turned him around so that he was headed in the right direction. I brought up the rear, knowing that neither Donna nor the Doctor would be carrying a weapon. I doubted I would need to use my laser gun, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

"So, Amy…" Donna said lightly as we walked. Every now and then I'd walk into her with a thud, causing her to stumble. She never complained, just turned to check I was alright and wave away my apologies. "Aren't you a bit young to be an archaeology student?"

I laughed. "I'm seventeen, almost eighteen."

"Where are you from?"

"Oh… here and there…" I replied vaguely.

"Where I'm from, you don't usually go to university until you're eighteen. Or are you one of those child geniuses? Is that it? What do your parents think?" She continued. It seemed like she was talking to break the echoing silence of the tunnels, rather than actually making conversation.

I smirked at her 'child genius' comment. "Something like that…" I agreed with a shrug. "I'm from a very… unconventional… family. My mother is a criminal mastermind – " Mum seemed to have a convenient coughing fit at these words, which made me grin broadly in amusement, " – and I have no idea who my father is."

"Oh… that's… nice?" Donna said uncertainly as she came to a halt behind Mum and the Doctor. We appeared to have reached our destination now.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it?" I agreed innocently with a laugh.

We filed through a narrow gap in the rock wall and Mum prodded me hard in the ribs, glaring at me furiously. "Are you actually trying to attract their attention?" She hissed.

"Doctor Song?" The Doctor called, waving his sonic screwdriver around and scanning the chamber carefully. "There are energy readings that don't seem to belong to us."

"Did you expect that we'd be able to wander in, grab the manuscript and leave again that easily?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

Putting her device against the wall, Mum tapped on the screen and a blue haze extended out, surging and pulsing around us until it encompassed the whole area. She tapped on the screen a couple more times and a second and third ring joined the first. Without warning, there was a mini-explosion, which caused Donna and I to cover our ears with our hands, stumbling slightly from the shock.

"Thanks for the warning." I muttered annoyed. Mum smiled and strode past me, holding her device out. She was now using it as a tracking device, the high-pitched beeping getting faster as she got closer to what she was looking for.

After a couple of moments, she gave a triumphant cry and pushed the device into her utility belt, scrabbling at the rock face. In an instant I was at her side, brushing the straggling weeds aside and trying to find some kind of hiding place.

My fingers found some kind of knot in the rock and I pressed it firmly, not really expecting much to happen. As soon as I touched it, however, there was a bright glow and a clicking noise. Part of the rock slid aside, revealing a hidden shelf on which was a long, narrow wooden box.

We looked at each other, smiles splitting our faces from side to side. Reaching out, Mum took the box and slid it into her pocket. Assuring the Doctor she would let him see the artefact as soon as they were out in the fresh air once more, Mum led the way back through the tunnels and we scrambled up to the surface.

"Let's see then." Donna said, holding out her hand for the box. Mum smiled, pretending to check the time.

"Actually, we really don't have the time to stay and chat. The life of an archaeologist is a busy one. Now, Doctor, Donna… until next time. Come along, Amy." She said in her most business-like tone.

Donna looked as though she was about to argue, but the Doctor spoke first. "Next time?"

"Oh yes." Mum said with a smile. "I'm sure we'll bump into each other again. In fact, I intend to make sure we do."

Leaving them looking totally bewildered, Mum shot them a wink, grabbed my hand and pressed the button on her Vortex Manipulator, taking us home.

"_**So you don't think we've done anything serious to the timelines?" Evie asked her Mother later that evening. She was curled up on River's bed towelling her hair dry carefully. **_

"_**No, I shouldn't think so." River assured her with a smile, tearing her gaze away from the parchments in front of her for a moment. "Come and see… these are so beautiful."**_

_**The teenager shook her head. "No thanks. It looks a bit dull to me."**_

_**River sighed.**_

**__

_A/N: OK, so the editor won't let me put in the line breaks again... I apologise and am very annoyed at it. Grr! BUUUT... thanks for keeping reading and reviewing! You guys are brilliant! :) _

**


	64. Hello!

Hello sweeties!

This isn't a new chapter – I'm very sorry! Although there will be one soon… probably tomorrow – this is just a little note to let you know that the first chapter of the next long fic about Evie has just been uploaded.

It's called '_**Angels, Soldiers, Criminals**_' and it's set during '_**Time of Angels/Flesh and Stone**_'.

Hope you like it! :)

Bex x


	65. First Impressions

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: First Impressions**

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hello lovelies :) This is another chapter from River's perspective.**_

_**It's written in response to a prompt from TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose who said that she'd like to see, **__'Evie's first meeting with the Doctor' __**and a prompt from **__**NaviRebel16 who, **__'__had this vision of River holding baby Evie for the first time. It's all kind of new for her but when the Doctor comes to see River (as he usually does) the baby cries and he's kind of stunned because he didn't know she'd been born yet' _

_**So here it is! Hope you like it :)**_

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><p><span>Age<span>: 3 weeks

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: December 2039

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><p><em><strong>River lay on the sofa in front of her parents' television, but not paying it the slightest bit of attention to the Christmas film that was being shown. She yawned, struggling to keep her eyes open. Amy hovered between the living room and the kitchen, determined to make sure her daughter had everything she wanted and needed. <strong>_

"_**Sweetie? Can I get you something, tea?" She asked for about the twelfth time that morning. River sighed and shook her head as a high-pitched wailing sound started up above them. "I'll go! You stay here and rest."**_

_**Gratefully the woman rolled over and buried her face in the pillow underneath her head.**_

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><p>There was a loud knocking on the front door and I sighed. With Dad still at work after being called in for some emergency and Mum upstairs with the baby I was the only person left to answer it. Heaving myself off the sofa I shuffled to the door, pulling my dressing gown more tightly closed around me and wishing that I didn't look like crap.<p>

"River!" The Doctor exclaimed, planting an excited kiss on my lips as he pushed past me in a display of his usual over-excited childishness. "You're looking a bit… un-River-like. Are you ill?"

"Not ill, exactly." I said slowly, wondering how to broach the topic.

"Good! Because I've got a new adventure for us, so you're going to have to get dressed quickly."

I shook my head, feeling my curls bouncing around my face. Stopping the movement abruptly, acutely aware of the fact that I could probably do with a shower – my hair was almost definitely in desperate need of a wash – I took in his slightly shocked expression. "Sweetie… I've got a new adventure for us, as well."

He pouted. "Well… whatever yours is we can do it later. Mine's more important."

"I doubt it." I told him with a sigh, sitting down on the sofa and twisting my hands in my lap. "And leaving it until later isn't really an option."

Seeing my expression, a wave of concern washed over the Doctor's face and he sat beside me, reaching for one of my hands and squeezing it between his own. "River? What's wrong? ARE you ill?"

"No, no…" Biting my lip, I turned to look him square in the eye. "Where are we? Timeline wise?"

"We've just done Alaxtranzer and the Ostrulf Mezoirs." He said quickly, furrowing his eyebrows.

My heart sank a little. "Ah… slight problem then."

"What?"

"I'm ahead of you… about… nine months ahead of you?"

"And?"

Before I could answer, another loud wail come from outside the living room and Mum appeared in the door with a bundle of blankets in her arms. She was so transfixed by the baby that she didn't notice the Doctor sitting beside me on the sofa. Instead, she continued talking to the baby, including me in the conversation now.

"… so then Mummy did a lot of clever shooting and Daddy got a bit cross because he doesn't really like guns. Your Gramps said it was amazing. But when you get older you better not get good at shooting things… I don't think your Daddy would like that very much, would he River?"

"What's that?" The Doctor asked, staring suspiciously at the bundle in Mum's arms.

Screaming at the unexpected sound of his voice, Mum almost dropped the baby, making her start crying again. I sighed and got off the sofa, moving towards them and gently hooking her out of Mum's arms.

"Shhh… please, shhhh!" I begged the baby. "What is it? Are you hungry? Tired? Need a nappy change?"

"She's hungry." Mum told me gently, laying a hand on my arm in an attempt to reassure me. "Calm down!"

"I'm no good at this!"

"You are! It just takes a while to get into it!" She assured me patiently. We'd had this conversation almost constantly since my baby had been born.

I snorted, not believing her for a second. Awkwardly I jiggled the baby up and down in an attempt to stop her crying. Then I sat down on the edge of the sofa beside the Doctor, who was staring at me with his mouth opening and closing like a fish.

"What… what's that?" He demanded jabbing a finger towards the baby.

"THAT," I said, pointedly, "is Evie… your daughter."

In less than a second the Doctor's face seemed to change from normal to red to white to slightly green. His eyes darted between me and Mum, before settling on the baby nestled against me, quiet now that she was being fed. The expression on his face was one that I'd seen many times before. It was the look that he got when he was trying to work things out in his head; when he was trying to come up with a logical explanation for something he didn't really understand.

"What?" He choked out at last.

I sighed. For someone so brilliant he really was slow. "Nine months ago, after Alaxtranzer and the Ostrulf Mezoirs, what happened? Think about it…"

His eyes glazed over for a moment as he thought. For him it hadn't been that long. A small smirk crept over his face as he relived the memory. Mum picked up a cushion and threw it at him, knocking the smirk firmly off his face.

"OI!" She snapped, her Scottish lilt more evident as it always was when she got annoyed. "Stop that!"

"Oh, right… sorry!" He apologised, going bright red. Then he turned his gaze back to the baby, going even brighter red as he realised what else he was staring at. "OH! Err… sorry, River."

I laughed. "Don't be silly, sweetie. You've seen them before."

"River!" Mum snapped, backing towards the kitchen. "I don't want to know! Now, tea?"

When she had disappeared through the door and left the Doctor and I on our own, I glanced up from our daughter and fixed him with an appraising gaze. For a couple of minutes he didn't even notice, so fixated on the baby.

"What do you think?" I asked, gently.

His response was to reach out gently and stroke her head. She made a snuffling noise, indicating that she was finished and turned her head, fixing the Doctor with a steady glare from her big blue eyes.

"She has your eyes." The Doctor murmured softly, smiling down at her. "She's beautiful."

"She is, isn't she?" I agreed, proudly.

There was silence for a moment and then the Doctor glanced at me, slightly warily. "Are you expecting me to move into a… bungalow… or something? Have a white picket fence and a dog and all that? Get a job?"

I laughed. I laughed so hard that I had to push Evie into his arms before I dropped her. I laughed so hard that my stomach was hurting. Then I shook my head. "Sweetie, I would never expect or WANT you to do that. I never want to do that!"

"Then…?" He looked down, almost scared, at the baby in his arms. I said nothing, watching them watch each other. Scarily, Evie almost looked as though she was trying to roll her eyes at her father; maybe she already knew what he was like. I grinned at the thought. "How is this going to work?"

Shrugging I stood up and moved to the kitchen door to help Mum with the tea. "I suppose the way it's always worked between us. You do your thing, Evie and I'll do ours and we'll meet up as often as possible. We'll make it work, sweetie, we always do."

He nodded, not looking up at me. He was staring down at Evie as though out of all the beautiful, breathtakingly brilliant things he'd seen in his long life she was the most wonderful of them all. Personally I had to agree. Taking a deep breath I promised myself that I'd do my best to be a good Mum to her, however hard it was.

When I poked my head around the door a couple of minutes later to ask if he was intending to stay for Christmas Dinner both Evie and the Doctor were fast asleep; the baby stretched out on her Dad's chest looking like she fitted perfectly.

I smiled and left them in peace.


	66. Honesty

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Honesty**

Age: 20

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: November 2011

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><p>Dad and I had hardly seen each other since the trip he'd taken me on to The Lightening Sky of Cotter Palluni's World. For me, that had been several months ago. For the version of Dad that picked me up this afternoon, it could have been years. I wasn't entirely sure but, from the way he bounded into the cell and announced that he was taking me out for an early birthday treat, I guessed that he'd had long enough to get used to the idea of having a daughter.<p>

"So?" I asked, leaning against the console of the TARDIS lazily as he bounced around wrenching levers down and twisting dials with the usual enthusiasm I was used to. "Where are we going, Dad?"

"You'll see, little miss impatient!" He chuckled, stopping briefly to ruffle my hair before bounding away.

I laughed, shaking my head. His ease was reassuring and stopped me feeling awkward about the change in relationship between us. For a while I let my mind wander, day dreaming about various things. At last, Dad grabbed me by the shoulders, making me jump and grinned down into my face.

"Ready?" He asked. I nodded.

Propelling me forwards, his hands still gripping my shoulders tightly, he moved towards the TARDIS doors, flinging them open to reveal… London. It was an ordinary London street. People were milling about in the near-darkness of the late November afternoon, laden with bags and barely taking any notice of the twinkling Christmas lights strung up between the buildings.

"London?" I asked, arching an eyebrow. He sighed, shaking his head and dipping back into the police box for a moment before emerging with a short, but thick, coat with a fur-lined hood, a pair of mittens and a scarf. Gratefully I put them on, realising suddenly how cold it was.

"London." He confirmed, locking the doors and striding forwards.

"Why?"

Sighing, he returned to stand in front of me and pulled a face. "Because this is normal; it's so beautifully normal. You're so used to stars and spaceships and hundreds of different races that you don't see how beautiful normal, boring London really is! This is your home planet, Evie! You're human… partly… you must feel something to be here!"

"Cold?" I suggested, wrinkling my nose at him.

"You are just like Donna… and Amy… and your mother." He snapped exasperatedly, whirling on the spot. "Why am I always stuck with women who can't see how amazing the ordinary things are?"

Jogging to catch up, I slipped an arm through his and gave it a quick squeeze. "I'm only joking! Of course it's beautiful! There's a specific smell that's just… Earth. It's like home. And at Christmas it's even better."

Obviously satisfied by my words Dad grinned down at me, his sulky pout vanishing at once. We wandered through the crowds of shoppers, whose moods seemed to range between irate and apathetic, pointing at the window displays and laughing at some of the items for sale. Dad refused to let me find him an outfit to try on, claiming that he was perfectly happy in the one he was wearing. I announced that I was buying him a traditional awful Christmas jumper as a present and he pulled a face, making me laugh so much that I startled a passing crowd of tourists. Then he spotted a woman in a ridiculous hat, fur coat and towering heels and, after he pointed her out, neither of us could stop laughing.

"Are you getting cold?" Dad asked after a while, noticing that I was starting to shiver. I nodded. "Come on, let's go and get a drink."

He led me over to a small café on a street corner, away from the main hustle and bustle of the bigger streets. Slipping off my coat, grateful for the wall of heat that had hit us as we'd walked in, I sat at a table in the corner. Dad grinned at the grumpy looking waitress who appeared the moment we'd sat down and did his best to force her to smile. The woman was having none of it and announced that she'd be back when we were ready to order.

I laughed and shook my head. Dad, slightly affronted, stood up and went to give her our order instead. Within a couple of minutes two tall glasses of hot chocolate arrived, complete with a small mountain of squirty cream, chocolate sprinkles and even a couple of marshmallows perched on the saucer beneath the glass.

"Wow!" I exclaimed, looking at it with wide-eyes. Dad, already tucking into his, grinned at me with a cream moustache. I laughed and threw a serviette at him. Taking a sip, I put my head on one side and examined him closely. "So, why are we really here?"

"Birthday treat, I told you!" He said with a shrug.

"My birthday isn't for another two weeks."

"Your mother said that she's already got plans for your birthday, so I thought I'd bring you early." Dad said calmly. I looked at him for a moment, still slightly suspicious. Then I shrugged and took another sip of the boiling hot drink in front of me.

"So…"

"What?"

I wasn't exactly sure what I was trying to ask. "Tell me about… Rose and Martha and Donna."

"They were…" He stopped, thinking. I watched him carefully as he considered his answer. "Brilliant."

"You've said that before." I reminded him with a sigh. "I want to know MORE about them."

"You know about Donna; you almost spend too much time with her. And you know Martha." He pointed out.

"So? I don't know EVERYTHING about them… surely there's stuff that you could tell me. Besides, Rose is in a parallel universe. I've never met her."

"Yes you have." Dad said, frowning slightly. I raised an eyebrow. "Oh… wait… you're too young for that yet." Seeing that I was looking at him suspiciously, he smiled and wafted his hands around dismissively, almost knocking over his hot chocolate. "So… Rose. She was lovely. So young when I met her." He smiled fondly. "She was so enthusiastic and full of life… maybe too enthusiastic sometimes. She was in love with me... poor girl. We saw the end of the Earth in the year five billion and all she could think of was that her Mum was dead. We went to so many places; the Fourth Great and Bountiful Human Empire, Satellite 5, a base on a planet orbiting a black hole and even an alternate universe. We fought Daleks and Cybermen and gas-mask wearing zombies and a werewolf. Nothing seemed to faze her. But now she's…"

"She's gone?" I finished for him, sending him a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "Don't be. She's with her family. I hope she's happy; she deserves to be. And then there was Martha. Martha Jones! She had a crush on me too."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked. "She seems pretty normal to me."

"Oi! Your mother obviously fancied me. Still does actually…"

"I said NORMAL." I told him, stressing the last word and grinning. "And I really don't want to know!"

"Anyway, back to the point! Martha was amazing. She was so brave, clever… brilliant! The first time I met her was in a hospital the Judoon had transported to the Moon. She was so calm about everything, including coming face-to-face with the Judoon and a Plasmavore. We met Shakespeare too... he was very taken with Martha; kept calling her his 'Dark Lady'... not strictly politically correct now... Then there was other stuff, involving Daleks amongst other things. We got trapped in 1913 to avoid the Family of Blood. I had completely lost my memory and it was down to Martha to make sure things went to plan. She was brilliant! Then we got trapped again, in the 60's, thanks to the Weeping Angels." Dad stopped and sighed deeply, a pained expression crossing his face. "But thanks to me her family got taken and tortured by the Master… it was all my fault and there was nothing I could do. But Martha still didn't lose faith in me. After it was over, she couldn't travel with me anymore. I don't blame her. So she went as well and I was alone again."

"So Martha left you and went to join Torchwood and marry Mickey?"

Dad nodded. "Well, she was part of UNIT first…"

"UNIT?" I asked, shocked. "She was a soldier."

"For a while." He agreed with a dismissive shrug. "And then there was Donna. Donna, Donna, Donna. You know all about Donna!"

"Tell me!"

Dad sighed before smiling indulgently. "She arrived first just after I'd lost Rose for the first time and before I met Martha. She just appeared in the TARDIS in her wedding dress – it turned out that the man she was marrying was dousing her in Huon Particles to feed to the children of the Racnoss Empress." I already knew the story, but rested my elbows on the table between us and my chin in my hands, listening to him as though it was all new anyway. "But she wouldn't travel with me then; she'd lost too much to even consider it. She told me that I needed someone... she was right, as usual. So I went and found someone; Martha. After Martha left, Donna and I found each other again. I guessed then that she was special; it was so much more than coincidence. And she was special."

"The most important woman in the universe."

"In all of creation." Dad agreed. "But she was more than that. She was brave and kind and funny and so, so human. Donna was exactly what I needed; what I'd needed for a long, long time. We caused Vesuvius to explode... we had no choice but to kill all those people. But Donna wouldn't let me do it alone. She persuaded me that saving someone, anyone, would be better than no one. So I did... I'll have to show you the carving of us in the British Museum one day; it's scarily recognisable. And then there was the Ood-Sphere... and the thing with ATMOS and the Sontarans. Oh, and Jenny, of course. Then we met Agatha Christie... Donna kept trying to persuade her to add her name to the copyrights! After that was the Library with..." He stopped, quickly, giving me a strange look. When he spoke again, it was in a rush, as though he was getting to the end of his story about Donna as quickly as he could. "With the Vashta Nerada. And then… I had to wipe her memories and take her home. I didn't think she'd ever be able to remember me and everything we'd done. But then you had to interfere and fix her. Now she's back and all Donna-y and bossing me about like nothing ever happened!"

I laughed at his pretend annoyance. Briefly I considered asking why I'd never heard of the Vasta Narada and a Library before, but decided against it, seeing the look on his face as he'd said it. "And you love it!" I pointed out and he grinned broadly. "But… why did you have to wipe her memories? Neither of you have ever told me why?"

Looking shifty, Dad stood up and put some money on the table to pay for our drinks. "We'd better be going. I told your mother we wouldn't be too long."

"You have a time machine. It doesn't matter when we leave." I reminded him suspiciously, knowing that he was avoiding my question. "Dad, what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it. She was… is… my best friend and I had to steal all her memories, even though she begged me not to. I know you, and I have no doubt that you'll find out what happened one day, but I won't be telling you." He said firmly, staring at me with dark eyes. Instantly I knew that he was serious and nodded meekly, following him out of the café and along the street.

Slipping my arm through his again I rested my head on his shoulder. "Sorry, Dad."

"It's alright." He sighed, disentangling my arm and grabbing my hand. "Want to go ice-skating? You're right! We can stay as long as we want!"

I grinned and nodded, letting him pull me along in the direction of the open-air skating rink excitedly. One day I'd find out the truth, but I could wait. Getting an answer wasn't worth upsetting things.

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><p><strong><em>AN: I just wanted to make it clear that I am perfectly aware that there are other companions, but as I've only seen from Nine onwards I have no knowledge about them - apart from Sarah-Jane, obviously - which is why I didn't mention them. I'm sure they were all brilliant, but I couldn't mention them because I'm pitifully ignorant about them! I thought I'd better say that incase anyone was annoyed that I've only included the 'New Who' companions._**

**_As always, thank you for reading, reviewing, favouriting and subscribing! It means so much! :) You're all BRILLIANT!_**


	67. Family Reunion 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Family Reunion**

Age: 22

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: October 2020

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><p><em><strong>River kept her face emotionless as she returned to the cell she shared with her daughter at the Stormcage Containment Facility. Evie looked up eagerly, her head on one side as she waited for her mother to tell her the news she'd been awaiting for several house.<strong>_

_**Not saying anything, the archaeologist moved across the cell, and sat down on the bunk beside the younger woman. Then her face split into a broad grin and she jangled a set of keys in her daughter's face. Evie gasped.**_

"_**You did it? We can go?" She asked, unable to fully take it in.**_

_**River nodded. "We sure can. And look what your father got us… a house!"**_

"_**Where?"**_

"_**Ledworth, not far from Mum and Dad. But it'll be a base… we can do what we want now, sweetie, go where we want! We're free!"**_

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><p>I stood back to admire my handy work. I'd strung fairy lights all around my new bedroom, decorating it the way I wanted. For once I had somewhere of my own – apart from my bedroom on the TARDIS and at Gran and Gramps' – that I could do exactly what I wanted with. It would be strange, not sharing with Mum every night, but I was very sure I'd get used to it incredibly quickly. Actually, I doubted it would take very long at all. Mum was definitely happy about having her own space. So was Dad.<p>

Pulling a face at that thought, I quickly dismissed it and looked around the room once more, satisfied with my efforts. Then I dropped onto my bed and began to sort through the pile of things on the duvet. There were a broad mixture of items I needed to find homes for, including photos, books, assorted socks, some CDs and DVDs.

As I was just tucking a photo of Jenny and I with Donna and Jack's kids into a photo frame, I heard an odd ringing noise from downstairs. It took me a couple of seconds to realise that it was the doorbell. Jumping to my feet at once I ran down the stairs, laughing to myself when I realised how pathetic I was for getting so excited about being able to answer the front door. There was no competition from my parents however; their bedroom door firmly closed.

"Hello, sweetheart." Gramps said as I pulled it open. He gave me a peck on the cheek and moved past me into the house as Gran threw her arms around my neck and hugged me tightly, squealing with excitement.

"Hey, Gramps, Gran." I said with a smile, shutting the front door happily. "Mum and Dad are upstairs I think… I would say they were unpacking Mum's clothes but…" I broke off, shrugged and pulled a face, indicating that I highly doubted that that was what they were actually doing.

"Nice." Gran agreed, opening the nearest door nosily and peering inside. Discovering that it was the living room, she went in, sitting on the sofa and smiling at me. "So, you unpacked yet?"

"Yeah… I didn't have much stuff really."

"Good, because we need to start discussing your housewarming party." Gran said excitedly, not interested in the status of my unpacking at all. I glanced at Gramps, having no idea what she meant, but he just rolled his eyes and sighed. They were still very young; only in their early thirties.

The Doctor had chosen this year for us to move into our new house, because he thought it would be easier for me to adjust. I had rolled my eyes at his reasoning and told him I'd be fine whenever, but he pointed out that if we moved into our house in 2020 I'd be the same age as Tom, my boyfriend, and my school friends and so would make things easier. I had to concede it was a good point and readily agreed.

"What's a housewarming party?" I asked, thoroughly confused. "Is it something to do with temperature? Don't we have heating?"

Both my grandparents spluttered with laughter. Gran shook her head. "No! It's like a new house party. You invite your friends and family round to celebrate that you've moved."

"Why?"

"Because it's fun!" Gran told me, rolling her eyes.

Gramps grinned. "Because your Gran loves an excuse for a party."

"That too." She agreed. "Now, what about Saturday?"

x-x

Saturday rolled around quickly. Everyone we'd invited – The Nobles, Torchwood, Sarah Jane and co – had accepted and so Gran and Mum were in full party mode. Apparently Mum loved a party just as much as her mother did. Gramps, Dad, Jenny – who had arrived the day after we'd moved in and claimed the bedroom next door to mine as her own – and I escaped the planning as much as we could.

On the morning of the party, however, Jenny and I were ordered to start decorating the living room and kitchen. Neither of us really knew what Mum and Gran were expecting of us, so we guessed. We had a lovely time stringing fairy lights randomly around the room and scattering sequins over the surfaces.

When Mum and Gran appeared in the living room they both sighed, looking remarkably similar, before ushering us out of the way. It didn't take much persuasion for Jenny and I to escape upstairs to my bedroom and avoid the tasks we'd been set. Instead we lounged on my bed, watching films and messing around.

It was almost seven before Mum's annoyed face appeared around my bedroom door. She was apparently ready to receive the guests, but in no mood to be in company… or with us at least! Her face was thunderous as she glared down at our rapidly paling faces.

"You two are worse than useless!" She snapped, scowling at us. Jenny quickly paused the film we were watching and we both looked at Mum, slightly nervously. "Everyone will be here in less than half an hour! You need to get ready and come downstairs!"

As soon as she left we jumped to action, running between our bedrooms asking advice and help on our outfits, hair and makeup. I can't believe how I managed to get through the first 20-odd years of my life without my sister, let alone how horrible I was and how much I hated the idea of having Jenny around when I first met her.

"Evie!" Mum shouted from downstairs. "Jenny! This is your two minute warning. If you're not down here in two minutes then I will..." We never found out what she would do, because the doorbell rang, cutting her threat off as she went to answer it.


	68. Family Reunion 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Family Reunion**

Finally Jenny and I were ready and went downstairs together, making a pact not to leave the other alone with Mum or Gran, who was bound to be matching grumpy moods.

To our surprise, however, they were both incredibly cheerful, chatting animatedly on the sofa in the living room with Sarah Jane, who had arrived slightly early. Luke, Rani and Clyde quickly moved towards us, grinning and clutching drinking in their hands. Jenny and I helped ourselves to a glass of wine each, before retreating to the conservatory and turning on the stereo in the corner.

I always found it strange when Luke, Rani and Clyde were older than us. We sat, chatting about what was going on in our lives. Apparently Luke, much to Sarah Jane's annoyance, had been drafted into UNIT. He assured us that he was trying to avoid things that his mother wasn't impressed with. Rani and Clyde were married – that was a shock to Jenny and I. Rani told us in great detail about their wedding, which apparently we'd both attended, while Luke and Clyde's attention wandered and they started discussing other things.

"Stop being anti-social!" Gran demanded a while later, popping her head around the door. "There's a load of cars pulling up outside. Come and meet and greet!"

Grinning, we did as we were told and went into the hall just as the front door was opening. Gwen, Rhys, Mickey and Martha stood on the doorstep, beaming broadly. From behind them four children appeared, two apparently belonging to each couple. They seemed to know Jenny and I, but apart from Anwen, I couldn't remember meeting them before. I'd heard about them, on various trips to Torchwood, but obviously in my future, their past, I'd actually met them.

Mickey and Martha's little boys, Josh and Alex, didn't seem interested in the hugs and kisses that they were ordered to give Jenny and I. They were far keener to get to the food. I laughed at their determination to beat the other and be the first. Osian, Gwen and Rhys' son followed suit, rubbing at his cheek to get rid of any trace of a kiss. Anwen, however, was far more content to hang around with Jenny and I. According to Gwen, she was eleven going on seventeen.

The noise levels had increased drastically; the sound of laughter filling the whole house. There was no time to think, however, before the doorbell rang again and three small, ginger children launched themselves through the crowd of people and attached themselves to Jenny and I.

"Jennnyyyyy!" The small boy grabbing at her legs cried excitedly, clearly wanting to be picked up. She grinned and swung him up into her arms, hugging him tightly.

"Sammy!"

I followed suit with the smaller of the two girls that were clinging to my legs, giving the older girl a one armed hug at the same time. "Zo! You've got big!" I exclaimed, slightly alarmed at how tall she was compared to me. "And look at you, Hannah! You're a proper person now!"

Donna grinned at us, placing a kiss on our cheeks as she passed. "Jack's just bringing Gramps in now. Mum's fussing about the wheelchair or something." She said with a shrug. "Is your Mum through there?"

"With the wine, probably." I told her with a shrug, putting Hannah down and ushering them towards the living room. Suddenly I realised that Dad and Gramps were strangely inconspicuous… incredibly unusual for my father. "Where's Dad?"

Jenny shrugged and moved to kiss Wilf on the forehead as he appeared in the hall. He looked frail in the wheelchair Jack was pushing, but the mischievous twinkle was still evident in his eyes.

"Hey, Gramps." She said smiling, before turning to hug Sylvia, who was glaring ferociously at Jack. "Hi, Nan."

Jack rolled his eyes and smirked as they followed the hall round and disappeared into the living room. Then Jack stuck his head back into the hall and looked at me, a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh, Evie, honey." He said, barely able to conceal the smirk on his face. "There's a surprise for you outside."

Glancing at Jenny, who shrugged, I moved towards the door nervously. Knowing Jack, the surprise could be anything from a pony, to a nuclear war head. I'd had enough experience of his surprises in the past to know when to be wary.

Poking my head outside, I saw at once what my surprise was. My mouth dropped open and I let out a small squawk in shock. Jenny pushed me slightly as she looked to see what it was. Then she giggled and went back inside, moving me out of the doorway and closing the front door gently.

"Evie?" Tom asked, stepping towards me. "Good surprise?"

I couldn't speak. "W-W-What are you… HUH?"

"Your Aunt invited me. She said it would be a nice surprise for you. Is it?"

"Of course!" I told him, throwing myself into his arms and hugging him tightly. He kissed me, tangling his hands in my hair and holding me close.

The sound of footsteps on the gravel drive suddenly drew our attention to the fact that someone was approaching and we broke apart to see Dad and Gramps walking towards us, slightly wobbly. My face broke into an even broader grin. They were drunk; Mum and Gran were going to kill them!

"Now…" Dad said, pointing his finger wildly in our vague direction. "If you hurt my daughter I will hunt you down and… and… paint your house blue." He threatened, glancing at Gramps for guidance on the whole 'protective parent' thing. I snorted with laughter.

"No!" Gramps told him, shaking his head and looking disgusted. "You'll hunt him down and hurt him, remember what we discussed?"

"YES!" The Doctor shouted so loudly that I was sure that everyone in the house would have heard him. "YES! I will hunt you down and hurt you remember what we discussed!"

I giggled uncontrollably, burying my face in Tom's shoulder as he stared between Dad and Gramps, unsure how to react to them. Apparently this reaction was exactly what they wanted, because both men nodded in satisfaction and turned unsteadily, heading towards the house.

The front door flew open and Mum and Gran appeared, hands on hips, looking terrifying. I was glad that, for once, it wasn't me on the receiving end of their quite considerable tempers.

"You are drunk!" Gran snapped as Gramps walked unstably towards her grinning.

"And you," he replied, gathering her in his arms, "are gorgeous!"

Gran smacked his hands away and dodged as he tried to kiss her. I giggled even more, clinging onto Tom for support. There was a sudden, sharp, stinging sound and I realised that Mum had slapped the Doctor round the face. He staggered slightly, blinking at her for several seconds before dropping to the ground and starting to serenade her.

Grinning, I grabbed Tom's hand and pulled him past my family and into the house. He looked mildly alarmed. "Is that normal for your parents?"

"More normal than you'd think." I agreed with a casual shrug. Then I laughed and opened the living room door. "Come and meet the rest of my big, loud, completely dysfunctional, totally not normal family."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Reading this chapters back, I've realised how completely RANDOM they are. But then I thought, this sort of stuff would be completely usual for Evie. Everything about her life is completely random!**_

_**Hope you like it! :)**_

_**Also, I would like to send a MASSIVE thank you to the completely lovely **__NaviRebel16__**, aka **__JuniorFanficCritic__** on YouTube, who has done a review of my Evie fics! If you want to see it then you should deffo go check out her YouTube page. I've gotta say the 'Sweetie Counter' was lower than I'd expected though! :P**_


	69. Fish

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Fish**

Age: 25

Location: Frulnit, Tracisolpus Galaxy

Date: 42827.9Pi

* * *

><p>Dad had taken us to a party. He arrived at our house when we were both already in bed; Mum reading one of her boring archaeology books and me lying on her bed watching the TV. She pretended that she wasn't watching the reality show I had on, tutting every time I made a comment about one of the contestants or the challenges they were facing. Then I'd glance up and catch her gawping at the screen over the top of her book, before she realised I was looking, scowled and raising it once more to block her view of the television.<p>

After breezing into the bedroom, looking a little taken aback by the fact that I was there as well, Dad announced that we should dress to seriously impress. Usually I would be terrified at the thought of him taking us to such an event, but he'd promised that he would be on his best behaviour.

Famous last words.

"Where are we going?" I demanded, stalking around the console room in ridiculous heels and a short, tight dress which Dad kept sending angry glares at as though it had personally offended him. Apparently it had, just by being the outfit I was wearing.

"I told you!" He said with a shrug. "We've been invited to the Ambassador's party."

"WHICH Ambassador?" I asked with a sigh. "WHAT planet are we going to?"

"The Ambassador of Polyvastilar." Dad told me simply. "We're going to the Ambassador's Mansion on Frulnit. Now be quiet because Amy and Rory are asleep and I'd quite like them to stay that way."

Raising my eyebrows, I dropped onto the seat beside the console and crossed my legs, tapping the nails of one hand on the metal railing that ran around the platform in my irritation. Dad shot me a look, but was quickly distracted as Mum appeared wearing a tight, midnight blue dress that swept the floor as she strode towards him in her equally ridiculous heels.

"What is it with you two and stupidly dangerous shoes?" Dad asked, not really concentrating on his question. Mum smirked and sat beside me.

"So?" She asked, glancing between us curiously. "Where are we going?"

"The Ambassador of Polyvastilar's party on Frulnit. He's throwing it for the Queen's 271st Birthday. I did a favour for the Ambassador's Great-Aunt Vox a while back, so he kindly sent me an invitation." Dad told her instantly.

I pulled a face. "Why does she get so much information instantly and I had to almost prise the bare minimum out of you?"

"Because I'm special." Mum told me, giving me a one-armed hug and a wink.

"Because I'm more scared of her, than I am of you." Dad admitted, pulling a sheepish face at me.

I laughed and Mum scowled slightly, before standing up and moving to stand in front of him. She leant forwards and whispered something in his ear, making him blush alarmingly and fumble with the levers beside him. I really didn't want to know what she'd said.

"Right… we're here!" Dad announced, yanking down the landing lever and retrieving his top hat from a hanger above his head. Putting it on proudly, he held out both arms for us to take, before leading us excitedly out of the TARDIS.

The room we'd walked straight into looked like something out of a fairy tale. It was a huge ballroom, decorated with long, flowing drapes at the windows and around the massive marble columns that held up with ornately decorated ceiling. Strangely, though, a huge disco ball was suspended above the dance floor, sending twinkling lights around the room.

"Shall we dance, Ms Song?" Dad asked, bowing politely and extending his hand. Mum smirked and took it, sweeping onto the dance floor.

"Get a room!" I called after them as they vanished into the crowd.

Sadly I caught Mum's response as they went, "that's later, sweetie!"

Feeling slightly nauseous and wishing that I hadn't heard that reply, I headed towards the safest place in the room; the buffet table. Perusing the treats on offer, I helped myself to several chocolate-covered Malli fruits before someone blocked my path, smiling at me.

"My name is Xaan, Warrior Chief of Polyvastilar." The man said, bending low into a flourishing bow and taking my hand, pressing his lips to the back of it. "I shall have this dance."

Pulling my hand from his grip, I arched an eyebrow. "Oh, you shall, shall you? I don't think so."

"As Warrior Chief it is my right to take whichever female I chose."

"And as a person it is MY right to tell you to piss off." I snapped, shoving the vol-au-vent that I'd been clutching in my hand throughout our exchange into his mouth.

There was an odd spluttering noise, Xaan clutched his throat and then, without warning he began to shrink. Speechlessly, I watched as he began to change in front of me. Within seconds, where the man had been standing a fly sat on the floor. Sat, stood, whatever flies do… what did flies do?

I found myself considering this question as, panicking, I placed a champagne glass – which I'd quickly drained to steady myself – over the Warrior Chief and set off towards the TARDIS. Not having any idea what had happened, or what to do next, I decided to store the insect in the police box and find my parents.

"Dad… DAD!" I muttered, pulling on his tuxedo jacket as he whirled Mum around the dance floor. Both sighed as they turned to look at me. The Doctor looked resigned to hearing bad news and Mum just looked exasperated.

"What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything!" I replied, offended. Then I grimaced. "Except… well… somehow I accidently might have turned the Warrior Chief of Polyvastilar into a fly."

"Wh-WHAT?" The Doctor demanded, grabbing my arm and pulling me off the dance floor and away from the crowd of people, some of whom had turned to look at us. Mum followed quickly, avoiding meeting anyone's eyes. "What exactly did you do? Where is he now?"

"He asked me to dance and I shoved a vol-au-vent in his mouth." I explained simply, with a shrug. "I caught him in a champagne glass and put him in the TARDIS."

"Good… good…" Dad started pacing, thinking hard. "A vol-au-vent?"

"You're not serious!" Mum muttered, shaking her head. "A vol-au-vent turned a man into a fly? What did you really do?"

"Nothing else! I swear! I just shoved it in his gob!"

"What kind of vol-au-vent was it?" Dad asked, suddenly alert. Mum rolled her eyes and muttered, 'oh for god's sake!' under her breath, but we both ignored her.

"I dunno…" Moving to the table I quickly scanned the plates and returned to my parents with another of the snacks I'd given the man. "This one."

"Oh… Evie, Evie, Evie!" He moaned, grabbing hold of my face in both hands and resting his forehead against mine. "Why the Otipan Cheese?"

Not having a clue what he was going on about, I looked to Mum for reassurance. She just shrugged and started around. Her eyes widened as the Ambassador approached and she tried to signal to Dad.

He didn't get the message. "OK, so we've turned the Warrior Chief into a fly… if we can just…" The Ambassador stopped dead just behind Dad, his eyes flashing with fury. I gulped and stared at him over Dad's shoulder. Slowly, he turned to face the man, a broad grin on his face. "Ahhh! Ambassador!"

"YOU TURNED MY WARRIOR CHIEF INTO A FLY?" He roared.

"Just a temporary –" Before Dad could explain, the Ambassador raised the long staff he'd carried around with him all night and pointed it angrily into the crowd.

There was an odd, muffled squawk, a flapping sound and then a splash. Mum, Dad and I exchanged wary looks, before turning to see what had happened. A crowd of people were staring in horror at a small glass bowl on the dance floor. Inside the bowl was a fish. I gulped, knowing that I'd really done it this time.

"The Queen!" A woman beside the bowl screeched before snatching it up and screaming. She rushed off the dance floor, before the Doctor could stop her.

"No, wait, stop!" He shouted, chasing after her.

As he went, Mum caught a flash of someone carrying a bowl and hurried after them. To my immense confusion, I immediately spotted yet another fish in a bowl being rushed away towards the back of the room. Crashing through the panicking crowd of people, I headed after the woman carrying the bowl.

Grabbing it out of her hands, I breathed a quick word of thanks and sprinted back to where I'd last seen my parents. They were both standing there, staring in confusion at two more identical fish in identical bowls. I groaned.

Scrutinising them carefully, Dad pointed at the fish in his bowl and let out a sound of triumph. "It's this one! This is the Queen. Evie… stay here, don't move and DON'T cause any more trouble… you may have just caused a war. River, watch her. And the fish."

With that he vanished inside the TARDIS, slamming the doors. Mum glared at me.

"You are in SO much trouble."

I scowled. "I didn't even want to come."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written after seeing the first of the Mini Episodes on the Series 6 boxset. And sort of as a result of a prompt from NaviRebel16, who said, '**__You HAVE to do bad night 1! It would be sooo funny!__**'**__** Well, I hope you all liked it and that it was funny! I found it quite funny, anyway! :D**_


	70. Dexin Warp Star

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Dexin Warp Star**

Age: 17

Location: Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade

Date: 380.815/f

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Doctor arrived at Stormcage full of excitement. He'd just come from a meeting with several of the Elders of the Shaa'miin tribes on Piiuna who had given him some rather exciting information. River beamed as the Time Lord stepped out of the TARDIS and leant against it, waiting for them to notice his presence. For once he'd taken the breaks off, in the mood to surprise them.<strong>_

"_**Doctor!" Evie called delightedly, noticing him after a couple of seconds. He grinned and soniced the cell door open. **_

"_**How would you like a trip to **__**Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade**__**?" He asked, as though offering her all the jewels in the universe. Evie raised an eyebrow. "It's cool!"**_

"_**Bow tie cool? Or actual cool?" She asked, clarifying.**_

_**The Doctor scowled as she bounded past him into the TARDIS. He pointed after her, before pointing to River accusingly. "That's just rude!"**_

* * *

><p>The Doctor put the co-ordinates into the scanner and sent us into the Vortex. Then he started lecturing me about why bow ties were actually far cooler than I gave them credit for. I rolled my eyes and started to fiddle with the controls in front of me, until he slapped my hands away and accused me of not listening to his speech on the virtues of the bow tie.<p>

"I am, I am!" I assured him with a sigh. He didn't look particularly convinced, so I started to reel off what he'd just been saying. "Bow ties originated among Croatian mercenaries during the Prussian wars in the 17th century on Earth. They were then adopted by the upper classes in Earth France, renamed cravats and were really popular in the 18th and 19th centuries."

"And…" He prompted, smirking slightly.

"Now, they are the embodiment of propriety and an indicator of fastidiousness and intelligence. Bow ties are usually associated with particular professions; such as architects, lawyers, university lecturers, teachers, waiters and politicians." I reeled off. "The popularity of the bow tie has spread throughout the Human Empire and is particularly apparent on planets such as Hoxful and Naprovess. On Shayquil the bow tie always worn as a symbol of a man's availability and worthiness as a husband. And they are cool because they make people trust you. Satisfied now?"

"And are you convinced now that they ARE cool?" He asked, the look on his face clearly suggesting that he thought I was.

I grinned. "Nowhere near."

"Well… you have no taste!" He announced sulkily, ramming the landing lever down much more forcefully than was necessary and making his way towards the doors. "We're here. Come on."

Mum shook her head at me. "You've upset him now!"

"Poor baby!" I replied sarcastically. She rolled her eyes and followed the Doctor outside.

The surface of Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade was nothing like I remembered from when I'd come here before. Then again, the environment had changed drastically while we were walking that time, so I assumed that this was just a different part of the planet.

As I put my foot down, I bounced slightly, before sinking a little into the spongy ground. It was a strange colour that seemed to change as we moved. One moment I thought it was purple, the next I was convinced it was blue and the next it looked green. The sky was yellow; a bright, buttercup yellow with orange clouds. The sun was red.

"Wow!" I breathed, taking it all in. The Doctor beamed at me appreciatively; clearly I'd been forgiven for my opinions on bow ties.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" He agreed, nodding. "Come on… we've got to find the Shayzpan and ask his permission to enter the Temple of the Nine Goddesses."

"Nine Goddesses?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Random number!"

The Doctor nodded. "There are nine Goddesses, because nine is an incredibly special number for the Medusans. The legends say that there were nine creators, each responsible for a different aspect of the planet – one for the sky, one for the mountains and hills, one for valleys, one for the seas, one for the other bodies of water, one for land creatures, one for sky creatures, one for aquatic creatures, one for the Medusans themselves. All very complicated, but it makes them happy."

I laughed and followed him towards what seemed to be a settlement. It was very small, but the buildings seemed incredibly grand. They were built from some kind of polished stone which glittered as the light from the sun caught it. There were about twelve buildings in all, arranged in a circle around a large statue of some kind of two headed creature.

"What's that?"

"That?" The Doctor asked, before following my finger to the statue. "Oh, that! That's the sacred Bloog. And don't point, it's extremely rude."

"What's a sacred Bloog?"

"It's a creature found in the mountains… two heads, six legs and three arms. Gorgeous things! Unless you meet them at night… then they're not so fun to be around. Big teeth." He informed me with a shudder. "Stop pointing!"

"Why? It's not like I'm pointing AT anyone."

"No, but it's extremely rude here. There's a law against pointing in public."

I snorted with laugher. "You're kidding me? There's a law against POINTING?"

"Yes!" Mum grabbed my arm and wrenched it down to my side, giving me a stern glare.

We walked in near silence for a while. I was still thinking about the fact that it was illegal to point. It seemed totally ridiculous to me, but from the look on Mum's face I guessed that I shouldn't test out whether or not it was true. Who knew what the punishment could be!

"So… why are we here?" I asked, skipping slightly to catch up with the Doctor who was striding ahead purposefully.

"No reason in particular." He said. I arched an eyebrow and he grimaced. "Well… there might be the slight chance that… err… I may have inadvertently…"

"Spit it out, sweetie." Mum ordered with an exasperated sigh.

"I may have accidently started the countdown on a bomb that is set to blow up the Temple of the Nine Goddesses." He admitted.

My mouth dropped open. "What?"

"So you decided to pick up Evie and me because…" Mum started. Then her eyes widened as realisation hit her. "Because men aren't allowed into the Temple without a female chaperone! Oh… you really are–"

"Yes, yes!" The Doctor snapped, annoyed that she'd worked it out so quickly. "Now, we need to get in there and stop it before I cause a galactic incident!"

The Shayzpan – a strange, wizened creature with three heads and huge feet – seemed reluctant to grant the Doctor access to the Temple at first. I didn't blame him. The Doctor is suspicious at the best of times but, shifting agitatedly from one foot to the other and fiddling with his bow tie, he did look more manic than usual. In the end, it was Mum's quick thinking in bestowing the gift of her Gesian Necklace on the Shayzpan which convinced him to let us in.

We kept our heads down as we made our way quickly through the Temple. Marble columns lined the edges, but I couldn't help being slightly disappointed and thinking that it just looked like a traditional Cathedral. I'm not sure what I was expecting, but something more exciting anyway.

Passing a group of women with hooded cloaks pulled low over their faces, we slipped into a pew for a couple of moments to make sure we hadn't attracted too much suspicion. The Doctor nodded his head towards a side chamber and, after a final glance around, we slipped through the heavy wooden door, closing it tightly behind us.

"Now what?" I hissed, looking around me. It was just a small, stone room; apparently used for storage of old and broken items. There was a three-legged stool in one corner that had obviously seen better days and, in another corner was a pile of old books with ripped covers.

The Doctor began moving the books aside, searching for something. After a couple of moments he pulled out a large box with a cry of triumph. Mum, who was standing guard by the door, glanced over her shoulder at the sound.

"What is it?"

"Slytheen technology." The Doctor told her shortly, examining it closely.

"Why would they want to blow up a Temple to Nine Goddesses?" I asked, moving to look over his shoulder. The box was pulsing, evidently in some kind of countdown. There were ten lights on the side, but only seven of them were illuminated. As we watched, another went out. Apparently it was getting closer to detonation.

"It's the Slytheen! Why do they do anything? Money and power!"

"Good point." I agreed, squatting down as the Doctor put the box on the floor and began pacing. Examining it I spotted a small hole in the top, as though it was waiting for something to be inserted. I wondered whether the Doctor had noticed, but assumed he had and said nothing.

A banging outside alerted us to the fact that someone must have realised that we were in the room. "I'm going to have to hurry you!" Mum said, fixing the Doctor with a hard stare.

"There has to be a way of stopping it. All Slytheen technology has one vital flaw – the metal they use can be destabilised by using a Dexin Warp Star. It's the safety catch they use in case something goes wrong… like cutting the third wire from the left on a Reshon Bomb."

"You mean the second from the right, sweetie." Mum corrected, rolling her eyes.

The Doctor glared at her. "Not important now, River!"

"So… where do we get a… Dexin Warp Star?" I asked, chewing my lip. I leant forwards, bending over the box. The necklace I was wearing swung free of my top and dangled in mid-air. Agitatedly I flicked my head slightly as the pendant hit me in the face.

"I don't kn–" The Doctor stopped abruptly, his eyes widening and his mouth dropping open as he stared at me. "Where… Evie… Where did you get that necklace?"

I glanced down, wrapping my hand around the pendant and shrugging. "Someone gave it to me I think." I said slowly, trying to remember who. "Oh! This girl, Lucie something or other. She knew me but I'd never met her before. Apparently I introduced her to Jack and the others."

"And she gave you that necklace."

"Yeah… she told me not to open the box until I got to the Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade, but obviously I couldn't wait that long."

"Typical." Mum murmured, smirking at me.

The Doctor held out his hand and I slipped the chain over my head, handing the necklace to him without asking any questions. He fiddled with the pendant, twisting the middle section. It slid apart to reveal a clear stone, remarkably like a diamond, which emitted a bright light. I had to squint at it, the light was so bright.

"Doctor!" I said, pointing at the box. Only one of the red lights was illuminated now.

Fumbling slightly, he pushed the pendant into the hole I'd noticed in the top of the box. There was an odd squeaking noise, a grinding sound and then a low hum, before the bomb stopped pulsing and the last light began to flash in a steady rhythm. After a quick glance at the Doctor, who looked relieved, I exhaled sharply.

Then I held out my hand for the pendant. "I have to give this to Lucie. She said that I gave it to her and told her when and where to give it to me, as well as giving her instructions for myself."

"Sounds complicated." The Doctor joked, pulling the pendant free of the bomb and re-screwing the middle section before handing it over. "Who is she?"

I shrugged. "Absolutely no idea."

Mum smiled. "I don't mean to hurry you, but there are some angry Medusans on the other side of this door and I think we should work out how we're going to get past them."

The Doctor and I both pulled faces, before steeling ourselves to run.


	71. Familiar

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Familiar**

Age: 23

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: November 2011

* * *

><p>I was supposed to be spending the afternoon with Jenny and Donna. But then Donna's baby had decided that it wanted to be born, so I left them at the hospital and decided to play at being a tourist for once. Properly this time, without Dad there to cause trouble.<p>

For once, though, I didn't feel as confident as I usually did. There was something about wandering around on my own and pretending to be ordinary and just like everyone else that made me incredibly wary. It was probably something to do with the feeling of impending doom that seemed to descend on me whenever I felt like things were normal for a while.

Shrugging it off and trying to enjoy myself, I headed along the road, people-watching and window shopping in equal measure. Although it was only the middle of November, the shops seemed to be starting to try and encourage people to spend money on Christmas presents already.

I wandered towards the more touristy areas, just standing on the pavement for a while to look up at the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. There was something comforting about buildings like this, I decided. I remembered the last time I'd been here, with the Doctor; three years ago for me, but a couple of weeks in the future for the people ambling past me. He had told me then that London was so beautifully normal, but that I was so used to stars and spaceships and hundreds of different races that I couldn't see how beautiful normal, boring London really was. Dad had a point. I should make more of an effort to spend time on Earth being… normal. But there was so much out there to see and do.

Smirking slightly at the absurdity of the idea that I didn't have time to just stand and look I turned and crossed the busy road, much to the indignation of several black cab drivers who had to slam on their breaks, beeping furiously. Ignoring them, I walked along Westminster Bridge, watching the boats moving lazily along the Thames. I'd never been on the London Eye, something that I planned to change immediately.

Making my way to the huge wheel, I spotted something that made my mouth drop open. In the fast track queue for the attraction were four, incredibly familiar people. I stopped, my eyebrows furrowing as I stared at them in total confusion. Two men and two women were posing for photographs while they waited to board the wheel.

Pushing my way through the crowds, flashing my psychic card at the security men as I got closer, I joined the queue, directly behind the four people. They barely noticed me, although the security men around them were sending me warning looks, apparently thinking I was too close. I was totally bewildered by the situation.

"Mum!" I hissed at the older of the two women. She turned to look at me, her own eyebrows furrowing as she looked me up and down in surprise. "What are you doing?"

"Sorry?" The woman asked. "Mum?"

"Yeah… I thought you and Dad were off on some recovery mission on Graxilon… you know; looking for the last piece of the Royal Hayt set from the 82nd century? That's why Jen and I came to hang out with Donna."

The woman looked at me as though I'd gone mad. Possibilities ran quickly through my head as I tried to work out what the reason for this was. Her eyes flicked from me to the man standing beside her. My attention turned to him as well and I was astonished to see that Dad wasn't wearing his usual tweed jacket. Neither, much to my delight, was he wearing a bow tie. Maybe he'd finally decided to believe me that they really WEREN'T cool. Deciding to try and get more sense out of him, I stepped forward.

"Dad… seriously… what's going on? I like the new look and everything, but…" I trailed off.

He looked as though he was about to say something, when Gran stepped forwards, putting her hand on his arm and smiling at me. "Is this the competition winner?" She asked. Suddenly Mum and Dad looked less alarmed, smiling at me. "Hi, I'm Karen, obviously!"

"What?"

"You won the competition, right? The Doctor Who competition for 11 to 16 year olds? The one where the prize was to hang out with us on the London Eye?"

My mouth dropped open, wordlessly. Two thoughts run through my mind simultaneously. Number one, did I honestly look like I could pass for 11 to 16? I was slightly offended about looking at least seven years younger than I actually was. Number two, what had the psychic card said on it? I glanced down at the object in my hand and read it quickly. Apparently yes, I had won some kind of competition.

Before I could react, I found myself shoved to the front of the group in front of the group of photographers. Totally confused, I allowed myself to be photographed, doing as I was told before being directed onto the giant Ferris wheel. Finally I was alone with my family and could do my best to work out what was going on.

"OK… I have questions." I said firmly, pacing backwards and forwards across the floor of the pod. Mum, Gran and Gramps sat on the bench in the middle while Dad leant against the glass wall opposite me.

"Of course… what's your name?" He asked smiling warmly.

"Wh… Evie?" I said. "Evie Song. Why don't you recognise me?" They exchanged confused looks, but no one answered the question, apparently not knowing what to say. "OK… so… you've somehow been programmed to… I don't know… forget me? Hang on, Gran… what did you say your name was?"

The red-head looked a little offended. "Gran? My name's Karen… Karen Gillan."

"And you?"

"Arthur Darvill."

"Alex Kingston."

"Matt Smith."

They each said their names as I pointed to them. I went cold, a shiver running down my spine. Not only had something or someone caused them to forget who I was, they had also forgotten who they were. I gulped. Then I decided to play along, to try and see what else I could find out.

"Of course!" I laughed. "I was just kidding." They relaxed slightly as I sat on the floor in front of them, crossing my legs. Stealing a quick glance at the psychic card once more, I tried to formulate my next question in my mind. "So… Doctor Who… what's that about?"

'Alex' raised an eyebrow at me. "Surely you know, seeing as you won an essay-writing competition to be here?"

"Yeah, course. But… from your perspective, I mean."

"Right… Well… it's a television show about a Time Lord called the Doctor and the adventures he has with his companions. Matt plays the Doctor, I play River Song and Arthur and Karen play Rory and Amy Pond, River's parents." She explained quickly, still looking suspicious. "What are you doing?"

"I… err… nothing." I said quickly, closing the cover of my Vortex Manipulator which I'd been using to scan for unusual readings. To my frustration there was nothing showing up at all. Everything seemed completely normal; apart from the fact that my family thought they were actors in a television show about our lives.

"Hang on… you said your name was Evie Song?" 'Karen' said suddenly, staring at me through slightly narrowed eyes.

Nodding, I agreed. "Yeah, it is."

"And you called Alex 'mum'." She continued. Again I nodded. "Is this some kind of role-play thing? You're pretending to be River's daughter? That's why you called me Gran?"

I was offended. "What? No! I AM River's daughter. Something's happened and you're under the illusion that you're completely different people… actors in a show about your own lives!"

They exchanged a glance, clearly thinking I was deluded and unhinged. I sighed, uncovering my Vortex Manipulator once more and scanning them again. Collectively their eyebrows nearly shot up and disappeared into their hair.

"What's that?" 'Matt' asked, moving closer to look interestedly at the device.

"Vortex Manipulator." I told him bluntly. "I'm trying to work out what's going on."

He laughed. "They're not real. They're just a gadget used in the show…"

"Wanna bet?" Pressing a couple of buttons on the device, I turned and aimed it at the space beside me. Immediately readings were projected into the air, fluctuating as they changed gradually. There was still nothing unusual or anomalous. Growling with frustration, I turned the projection off. Everyone was staring at me open-mouthed.

Taking a couple of steps towards Mum… Alex… I stopped quickly as she recoiled. I bit my lip, willing myself not to cry.

"I'm going to work out what's going on." I told her firmly. "I promise."

Then, quickly imputing coordinates for the Nobles' house into the Vortex Manipulator, I pressed the button and vanished, hoping that they would be able to help me work out what was going on.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Wilf barely registered the fact that his adoptive great-granddaughter had appeared in the kitchen. He was so used to the way that she and Jenny arrived that it didn't bother him anymore. Instead he glanced up and smiled.<strong>_

"_**Donna's still at hospital; no baby yet. Jenny, Sylvia and Jack are with her." He told her excitedly, his eyes twinkling.**_

"_**Great." The young woman said, not looking as though she cared. "Gramps… I just saw Mum and Dad and Gran and Gramps… but they had no idea who I was. They had these other names… Alex… something? Karen… Matt… Arthur? Something's happened but I don't know what. Have you noticed any–"**_

_**The old man cut her off by raising a hand. He passed her a magazine, pointing to a photograph on the front cover. Evie's mouth dropped open in surprise. **_

"_**Doctor Who Christmas special… what?" Evie sat down heavily at the table, staring at the magazine. "So… they weren't actually my family?" Wilf shook his head. Evie grimaced, shooting him a nervous look. "Oops… I may have just caused a slight problem then." Then she stopped, staring at him in horror. "Hang on... there's a TV series about my life? WHAT?"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>The four actors stared at each other as the strange young woman vanished in a flash of bright light. For a while none of them spoke. Then Matt glanced in confusion at his friends.<strong>_

"_**Have we been drinking?"**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written in response to a prompt from DoctorWhoGal who said that she'd like, **__'_for Evie to meet Matt, Alex, Karen and Arthur. That would be epic :)_'_

_**So, I've given it a go and hope you like it! You'll have to imagine that Alex, Matt, Karen and Arthur just randomly hang around together for competitions… because in my head it's a possibility! :)**_


	72. Serenaded

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Serenaded**

Age: 17

Location: Chiswick, England, Earth

Date: August 2014

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie was in a foul mood. She glared and sighed and rolled her eyes until River had had enough and told her to go out and get some fresh air. Even this seemed to annoy the teenager, who breathed out through her teeth in a hiss and jabbed at her Vortex Manipulator violently, disappearing through the Vortex.<strong>_

_**River shook her head, took a deep breath and looked back down at the archaeology book she was studying, relived to have some peace at last.**_

* * *

><p>"So… your mum hasn't actually done anything?" Tom asked, taking a bite of one of his chips and looking at me with his head on one side.<p>

"No! She has!" I argued, taking a chip as well and biting it aggressively. "She's being… nice."

He pulled a face. "And that's a bad thing?"

"You know my mother, right?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah… she seems cool."

"No. No." I argued shaking my head firmly. "River is not cool. She's a pain in the bum. All she ever thinks about is stupid archaeology and the stupid Doctor."

"As opposed to…?"

"Me!" I snapped.

Tom grinned, looking down and shoving more chips into his mouth before speaking. "Come on, Evs… Give her a break."

"No."

"So, how is she being nice, exactly? I mean, that's pretty disgusting! What exactly is she doing? Buying you things? Taking you to exciting planets?"

"It's not funny!" I pushed the swing backwards and forwards with my feet, looking up at him. He leant against the pole, smirking down at me. "She keeps… trying to get me interested in archaeology and stuff. We went to The Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko last week… all she wanted to do was examine some ancient ruins and look for some boring old casket or something. I mean… Diamond Coral Reefs? Worth an absolute fortune! But no, I didn't get near a single diamond. And then the week before we went to Santirpa Maxon…" Tom looked bemused, so I sighed. "It's a planet in the Wilton Configuration… but anyway, we spent three days climbing through this old cave system carved into the rocks. It was so dull! And at the end she just announces that we're leaving so she can write a paper to present to the Archaeological department at the Luna University. So, bam, I'm back in our cell again!"

All through my rant, Tom had been smiling at me as though he wasn't even listening. I glared at him fiercely and stuffed more chips in my mouth, rocking myself more firmly backwards and forwards on the swing.

"It's… strange…"

I frowned. "What is?"

"Having a futuristic alien criminal for a girlfriend." He said, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes and threw the last couple of chips in my box at him. Tom ducked and they sailed over his head harmlessly. "No, I mean… no one would ever believe me. All that stuff… Diamond Coral Reefs… different planets… the Luna University. It's… brilliant."

Smiling grudgingly, I shrugged and nodded. "I guess…"

"You guess? Evs… I've got A-Levels and then a degree and then a job, marriage, kids… that sort of thing to look forward to in my life. You've got an indeterminable future ahead of you! You can go wherever, whenever you feel like and do whatever you want."

"You could come with me." I suggested, almost as though expecting him to reject me outright.

He smiled. "Maybe… someday."

"Someday?"

"Well… yeah." He grinned and poked a chip into my mouth. "I mean, like I said, I've got A-Levels to sit and a degree to decide on."

"I have a time machine." I pointed out, spinning round as he walked past me and sat on the swing I'd recently vacated.

"Yeah… but I've got a family and stuff."

"So have I. The weirdest family in the universe." I muttered under my breath, making him grin.

"I know. Your family are… interesting." He agreed, obviously thinking back to the first time he'd met them. "The Doctor and your Gramps were hard enough to face, I'm glad you don't have a Dad as well!"

Laughing, I sat on his lap, leaning against him as he rocked the swing backwards and forwards, his arms tightly around my waist. For a while we just sat in silence, each encased in our own thoughts. After a couple of minutes, Tom began to hum softly and I turned my head to look at him, smiling slightly.

"What's that?"

"Don't you recognise it? The last time you were here it was your favourite song." He told me with a grin. "It was only last week!"

"Actually, it was about a month ago for me." I admitted, pulling a face. "It's Adele, isn't it?"

Tom nodded. Then he started to sing in a soft voice, making the tiny hairs on the back of my neck and my arms stand on end, despite the fact that the air was still warm. "_You said I'm stubborn and I never give in__. __I think you're stubborn 'cept you're always softening. You say I'm selfish, I agree with you on that__, __I think you're giving out in way too much in fact. I say we've only known each other one year__. __You say I've known you longer my dear__. __You like to be so close, I like to be alone__. __I like to sit on chairs and you prefer the floor__. __Walking with each other, think we'll never match at all, but we do._"

I sighed, leaning back against him and closing my eyes as he sang. He didn't have the best voice, but I loved it. Besides, no one – apart from Mum and Gran – had ever sung to me before. It was lovely.

"You do realise that song could have been written by you, don't you?" Tom asked me, grinning cheekily. "You are stubborn and you don't ever give in."

"Oi, Earthboy!" I pretended to be offended, giving his arm a light slap. "Are you calling me selfish?" He raised an eyebrow. Sighing I pulled a face. "I am, aren't I?"

He shrugged. "I just think you should go and sort things out with your Mum."

"But we're on a date!" I complained. "Mum can wait."

"No, I can wait. And I will… just… go and sort things." He ordered, kissing me lightly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: The lyrics are from Adele – My Same.**_

_**I'm dedicating this chapter to Nicky, because I was talking to her about birthdays and Tennant in a bow and other such things while writing it. But I really hope the rest of you lovely people enjoy it as well! x**_


	73. Bustles and Parasols 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Bustles and Parasols**

Age: 19

Location: Plas Ddirgel, Wales, Earth

Date: August 1887

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie was sitting in the console room of the TARDIS, waiting for her mother and the Doctor to finish the washing up. They were acting oddly recently, the teenager decided. She'd woken up a couple of days ago with a terrible headache and no memory of the last couple of days. Apparently she'd been ill and in bed – nothing exciting and nothing that mattered. Evie wasn't convinced, but they were sticking to their story and she couldn't get them to change it.<strong>_

_**Sighing, the teenager looked around. She frowned as something caught her eye. Standing up quickly, she crossed the room and bent down, tugging at a scrap of material that was sticking up from underneath the chair. **_

"_**What…" Evie looked at the scrap of material. It seemed to be from some kind of patchwork quilt. She was sure she'd never seen it before, yet she was drawn to it as though it was incredibly important to her. Closing her eyes, she breathed in the smell.**_

_**Without warning, images began to flash through her mind. Faces… the faces of children. A village, completely abandoned apart from one small house filled with laughter and chattering. A young woman was hanging washing on a make-shift washing line with one hand, holding tightly to a small child balanced on her hip with the other. **_

_**Evie yelped with pain as, at the same moment she realised who the young woman was, a sharp, stabbing pain exploded in her head and she fell to the ground. She fainted as a bright light engulfed her. When the light dispersed, there was no sign of Evie in the console room. She had vanished.**_

* * *

><p>I picked up the basket of washing and sighed, spotting at once how much mending I would have to do. Nanny Julia had taken the younger Howell children out for the morning, leaving me to do the boring tasks; tidying the nursery, washing and then mending the clothes. The only time Nanny takes the children out is when there are jobs like these to be done. The rest of the time they're left solely in my charge while she does what she likes; generally drinking tea and gossiping with Mrs Hartley in the kitchens or reading the Mistresses novels in her bedchamber.<p>

This situation doesn't bother me, I enjoy being with the children and I know that they prefer me to their Nanny. She earns ten pounds a year more than I do and yet I do more of the work than she does. It hardly seems fair, but she is the Nanny and I am only the nursery maid. Besides, she is a good twenty years older than me and still unmarried. Hopefully I won't meet the same fate.

I was about to start on the mending, sitting on one of the small stools with Miss Louisa's dress spread over my knee and the needle already threaded, when there was a small knock on the door. A small, pale face appeared in the crack as the door opened. I smiled.

"Yes, Mair?" I asked as the young housemaid nervously stepped into the room. "What can I do for you?"

The maid stepped closer to me, looking slightly apprehensive. "The Mistress asked if you would go to the Morning Parlour, Miss Song. She wishes to ask you something."

"Call me Evie, I've told you. I'm just the nursery maid." I commanded, slightly annoyed that she still referred to me so formally. I knew for a fact that she earned the same as I did a year and there was no reason for her to set me apart as she did. The main problem was the way Nanny Julia kept me in the nursery almost all the time and stopped me interacting with the other maids.

"Sorry, Evie… but it's urgent." Mair continued.

I set down my sewing and stood up, smoothing down my apron and glancing in the mirror on the wall to check my overall appearance. Pulling a face at the maid, I swept from the nursery and headed along the corridor and down the staircase.

"Any idea what it's about?" I asked as we neared the Morning Parlour. Mair shook her head and disappeared towards the servants' staircase down to the kitchens. I sighed and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Pushing the door carefully, I went into the lavishly furnished room, sinking into a curtsey immediately. "You wished to see me, ma'am?"

"Yes, Evie… come over here and sit down." Lady Howell requested graciously.

I did as she asked, slightly warily; I had never been asked to sit down by the Mistress before. This filled me with a sense of foreboding and I folded my hands in my lap, staring at them as I tried to work out what was happening. Surely I could not be in trouble, or she would not have asked me to sit.

"Now, Evie." The Mistress said in a strange voice. I glanced up and realised that she was struggling with what she was trying to say. "When you came to us, you left the Maes Glas Orphanage, did you not?"

I nodded, slightly embarrassed. "Yes, ma'am."

"And you had been there for many years, is that correct?"

"Yes, ma'am." I agreed again. "Since I was a small child." Lady Howell looked a little uncomfortable, apparently trying to get her words together. Unable to stop myself, I blurted out, "What is it, ma'am?"

"There has been… that is…" She sighed, wringing her hands in her lap. "Inquiries have been made about you in the village."

I didn't know what to say. "About me, my Lady? But… why?"

"I confess I do not know the whole story, Evie. I've simply heard what Evans told me when she dressed my hair this morning. Apparently she was in the village yesterday on her half day and happened to overhear a man and a woman asking about the nursery maid at Plas Ddirgel. Do you know why this might be?"

"No… I… my parents died when I was an infant and I have no other family to speak of."

"Well… in that case I suggest you keep your guard, Evie. I would hate to lose you as our nursery maid." She looked knowingly at me, arching an eyebrow. "I am quite aware of how things stand within the nursery." I blushed, realising that she was referring to the unequal workload between myself and Nanny Julia.

"Thank you, ma'am." I said, standing and curtseying before I turned to leave the room, my mind spinning with the new information.

"Oh, Evie." Lady Howell called after me. I stopped and faced her. "Lady Charlotte was saying that she wanted to go to the village this afternoon, but there is no one free to accompany her. Would you do it?"

"Of course, your Ladyship." I agreed at once, delighted at the prospect of escaping the house for once and in the company of Lady Charlotte as well.

"Thank you."

I closed the door behind me, smiling broadly and headed back up to the nursery thinking hard. Lady Charlotte, Sir Howell's daughter from his first marriage, had almost definitely decided that she needed to go to the village after hearing about the strangers. And she had almost definitely ensured that no one else was around to chaperone her, probably putting the idea of asking me into her step-mother's mind. I shook my head at her cunning and entered the nursery, just in time to hear the stampede of small feet on the stairs.


	74. Bustles and Parasols 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Bustles and Parasols**

"So, Evie…" Lady Charlotte said as we walked down the long gravel drive away from the house. She slipped her arm through mine – most unconventionally – and gave it a slight squeeze as we walked. "Mama has told you of the intrigue surrounding you at the moment?"

I nodded. "She has, but I confess that I do not know the cause of it, let alone who these people might be."

"Are you quite sure you're an orphan?" Again I nodded and she thought for a moment. Then she looked at me curiously, her head slightly tilted to one side as she scrutinised me closely. "Do you know, sometimes I think there is something different about you."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't really know… something… something I cannot put my finger upon. I catch you sometimes staring into space as though you are seeing something that is not there. Your eyes sparkle as though… oh, I don't know. It sounds silly."

Gently I attempted to change the subject, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. Lady Charlotte was right; sometimes I did have the oddest daydreams about far off places and people and the strangest situations. They seemed so real and yet there was no way that it was possible. Other worlds simply did not exist. And yet I felt more connected to these strange imaginings than I did to my real life. I'd gone back to the Orphanage on one of my days off to visit my friends there and felt no link to it whatsoever. It was all very disconcerting.

"So, Lady Charlotte, what is it that you were wanting from the village?" I asked, reaching forward to unlatch the gate.

"How many times must I tell you to call me Charlotte?" She replied with a deep sigh.

"It isn't proper." I told her for about the hundredth time.

"Oh, stuff propriety!" She cried passionately. "You are my closest, no my only, friend. If you won't call me Charlotte, then I'll call you Miss Song and see how you like it."

I couldn't help laughing at her annoyance. "Very well, if you're sure, but only when there is no one else around." I agreed with a sigh. "So, Charlotte, what do you want in the village?"

"Nothing!" Lady Charlotte laughed. "I simply wanted to hear the gossip and find out more about your mysterious friends."

"They are no friends of mine." I told her firmly. "I haven't the faintest idea who they are."

We reached the village and I removed my arm from hers. She rolled her eyes and sighed, but I arched an eyebrow and she said nothing. The first shop we entered was the milliners. I nodded and smiled and made the appropriate responses as she perused the items for sale. Really, though I had no interest in hats or anything else for that matter. I was incredibly conscious that the two women behind the counter were watching me, talking in low voices to each other all the while.

"Good morning." Lady Charlotte said, approaching the counter and smiling warmly. The women nodded and returned the greeting politely. "Is it true that there were people here searching for Evie?"

I gaped at her, astonished that she should come out with such a question. Apparently the two women were equally shocked, but managed to cover their surprise far better than I had.

"Well, yes, Lady Charlotte… there was a man and a woman. I must admit that we were rather surprised when they came into the shop. They looked far too important to have a daughter who was a…" The taller of the women said, blushing and trailing off as she realised that her words may have been considered insulting.

"So they're definitely her parents?" Lady Charlotte demanded excitedly.

My fists clenched and I had to work hard to control my features. I seriously doubted that this was the case. Something about these people who were looking for me seemed to fill me with a sense of dread.

"Oh, that's what they were saying, ma'am." The second woman confirmed, leaning on the counter as though about to impart some incredibly important information. "It seems that they were involved in the Abelege Train crash in '68. Of course, you would be too young to remember it, your Ladyship, but it was a terrible disaster. Thirty-three people were killed and apparently Mr and Mrs Song were assumed to be among the number. Their baby daughter, who was staying with the Nanny at the time, having no other family, was sent to the Orphanage."

All three turned to stare almost accusingly at me. I gulped, feeling trapped. There was something about the story that didn't add up and I still had the feeling of dread at the thought of it.

"And where are these people now?" Lady Charlotte asked. I stared at her with pleading eyes and gave a sharp shake of my head. She ignored me, smiling warmly at the shopkeepers.

"I think they're staying at the inn, ma'am." The first woman told her. "At least, that's what we've heard."

Lady Charlotte thanked them, before leaving the shop quickly. I had no choice but to follow as she practically marched towards the Lamb and Flag, ignoring all the disapproving looks as she entered the public house and went straight to the bar. Nervously I followed, glancing around at the men who were watching us with a mixture of amusement and confusion. There were mutters about inappropriate behaviour and young women these days being out of control and having no respect for propriety. I sighed as Lady Charlotte smiled at the man behind the bar and began to inquire about his guests.

A wave of relief rushed over me as the man told her that Mr and Mrs Song had gone out that morning and weren't expected back until that evening. My tension lifted slightly. This relief didn't last long however, as a smile washed over the man's face and he looked at someone behind us.

"Ah, here they are now." He said, pointing towards the door.

My heart sank as I turned around and found myself looking at a well-dressed couple in the doorway. They looked at me and I looked back at them. Suddenly the woman's mouth dropped open and she covered her mouth with her hands. The man beside her gripped her arm and beamed, the smile not quite extending to his eyes.

"Is it…? Can it be…?" The woman exclaimed dramatically, throwing her hands up in the air. "Is that Evie? Is that my daughter?"

I didn't answer; instead I just stared at them critically. The last thing I wanted to do was get any closer to these people. I felt no connection to them whatsoever. If anything, I got a sense of foreboding from them, radiating off the couple in waves.

Lady Charlotte didn't seem to notice, inviting the couple up to the House for afternoon tea and a chance for us to 'get to know each other'. I glared at her as we left the inn and she sighed.

"What is it, Evie?"

"They are not my parents." I told her firmly, shooting a glance over my shoulder. "I don't know who they are or what they want, but they are definitely not my parents."

She sighed again and shook her head. "How do you know? You were just a baby when they died."

"I can tell. There's just something about them… I can't explain it." With a final glance over my shoulder at the inn, I caught sight of the couple in one of the upstairs windows. They were watching our progress through the village with matching expressions on their faces that I could neither recognise nor begin to feel comfortable about.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello sweeties! So, there are two chapters tonight because as TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose rightly pointed out, I left the last chapter on a complete cliffhanger. Also, I'm not entirely sure when I'll get to update next because it's my birthday weekend so things are kinda insane - it's not my birthday until Tuesday, but I'm home for the weekend and my family are mad - so I didn't wanna leave you hanging for that long ;) x**_


	75. Bustles and Parasols 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Bustles and Parasols**

I sat uncomfortably on the edge of the sofa as Lady Howell poured out the tea that Mrs Price had just brought up from the kitchens. The Housekeeper sent me a questioning, almost disapproving look, sending me further into my discomfort. I had been coerced into wearing my Sunday best for this meeting and was already on edge.

"So, Mrs Song…" Lady Howell started, smiling at the woman who had introduced herself as Ruth Song. "How did you hear of Evie being here?"

I got the feeling that her Ladyship was almost as suspicious of the strange couple as I was. They kept their gazes trained on me most of the time, but there was something in their eyes that made me incredibly uncomfortable. Mrs Song was tall and thin, with mousy-brown hair curled up underneath her hat. Her eyes were a piercing blue and she barely blinked. Her husband was also tall and thin, with greying hair and a thin moustache. I couldn't see any resemblance between us at all.

"We've been searching for years." She said, her gaze never wavering from me. I shuffled further along the sofa away from her, trying not to make the movement obvious. "You see, our Nanny had taken her on a holiday to the coast while my husband and I went away on business. We lived in London at the time, but when she heard the news the Nanny took Evelyn to the closest Orphanage and left her there. We had no idea where she was until we tracked down the woman several years ago and she gave us the general area where she'd left our baby."

"My name is Evie." I said, more rudely than I'd intended. "I have never been called Evelyn."

"You were christened Evelyn, my dear." Mr Song said, a rough undertone to his voice. I shuddered slightly, feeling it cut straight through me.

"I don't think I–" I started, but he sent me a hard glare and I found that my voice stuck in my throat.

Noticing the exchange, Lady Howell smiled and handed round more cake. I clenched my hands in my lap and shook my head weakly as I was offered some. Lady Charlotte shot me a questioning glance but said nothing. My stomach churned as I looked back at the strangers who were still staring at me. Their eyes were unnaturally wide and a chill went down my spine as our eyes met.

"I… would you excuse me." I said weakly, standing up and smoothing down my skirt. "I must get back to work."

Without waiting for an answer, I rushed out of the Drawing Room and almost ran up the stairs. No sooner had I entered the nursery when Nanny Julia put her hands on her hips and glared ferociously.

"Now, don't you go getting airs and graces, my girl!" She threatened, pointing a finger at me. "Go and get changed… the children need a walk and I've got a headache."

I said nothing, spotting the novel poking out of her apron pocket and knowing that there was nothing wrong with her whatsoever. Mumbling an agreement, I hurried off to my tiny attic bedroom to change into my ordinary work dress. Inside the room, I closed the door and leant against it, taking a steadying breath and squeezing my eyes closed.

There was something incredibly strange about those people. I didn't believe that they were called Mr and Mrs Song for a second. I was even less inclined to believe that they were my parents. There was something about their stares that sent a jolt straight through me, as though I had been plunged into an icy lake.

As I stood with my back against the door and my eyes tightly closed, a series of images flashed through my mind; a blue box with the word 'police' written on it, a man and woman running through what looked like fire, a metal man moving mechanically across the floor, a green creature advancing threateningly. I gasped, opening my eyes and shaking my head, putting a hand to my forehead.

"Pull yourself together, Evie." I muttered angrily, hastily changing my dress.

I was just fastening my apron when there was a knock on the door. Sighing and catching hold of the strings in one hand, I went to open it. Lady Charlotte pushed into my room without a word. Sighing, I returned my attention to tying the apron, but she pushed my hands away and tied it herself.

"Well?" She asked when it was done and I'd turned to face her once more.

"I have to get back to the nursery. Nanny wants me to take your brothers and sisters out for a walk." I told her, avoiding the real reason for her question.

"No, no! What about those people? Do you think they're your parents?"

I shook my head firmly. "No, I don't."

"But why would they make it up, that's what I don't understand." She said sitting on my bed.

"So you don't believe them either?"

"There's something… odd about them." Lady Charlotte muttered with a small shudder. "Their eyes… the way they seem to look straight through you and into your mind; it's horrible."

I was about to answer when there was the sound of feet stamping up the staircase and Nanny Julia's voice ripped through the quiet. I pulled a face at the young woman sitting on my bed and ducked out of the room, ready to face the tirade about how long I'd been.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>So where is she?" River demanded glaring at the Doctor with her hands on her hips. <strong>_

_**He shrugged helplessly, bashing at the TARDIS controls in confusion. "She can't have gone anywhere! We're in the Vortex… there's no way she…"**_

_**As the Doctor's voice trailed off, River moved to his side, staring over his shoulder at the scanner screen. It was displaying an odd set of information. Lines spiked and dipped across it, showing the moment when Evie had left the TARDIS clearly. River gasped, jabbing at it with her finger.**_

"_**What's this?" **_

"_**By the looks of it the TARDIS sent her somewhere safe." The Doctor told her carefully, trying to make sense of the readings.**_

"_**Sent… sent… WHY?" She demanded furiously. "Where has your ship sent my daughter!"**_

"_**OUR daughter, River." The Doctor reminded her with a slight scowl. "Now… oh… this is not good. This is extremely not good!"**_

_**River glared at him again. "What?" She growled.**_

"_**Well… You know that mind wipe I did after the incident with the children?" He asked and she nodded, looking annoyed. "Well… it seems that something triggered a memory. The TARDIS stopped her remembering by transporting her to somewhere safe."**_

"_**And…"**_

_**He grimaced. "Umm… she doesn't remember us. She thinks she's a Victorian nursery maid and an orphan. But that's not the bad news."**_

"_**Then what IS the bad news?" River demanded, folding her arms and raising her eyebrows. She couldn't imagine how the situation could be much worse.**_

"_**Well… she's sending out a distress signal all over the universe. With her DNA… she's an easy target for anyone or anything wanting… well… you remember what happened when you were born? And what we were worried about happening when Evie was born?"**_

"_**Kidnap?" River barely managed to choke out, the colour draining from her face. "And she's out there, on her own with no idea who she is or how much danger she could be in."**_

_**The Doctor gripped her hand tightly, pulling her into his arms. "Exactly. We just have to make sure we find her before anything happens." **_


	76. Bustles and Parasols 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Bustles and Parasols**

I wandered through the gardens with the children, deep in thought. Louisa and Georgina hung onto my hands, chattering happily as we walked, while James, Matthew and Henry ran around working off some of their vast supply of energy.

"Evie?" Georgina demanded as we passed the ornamental lake. The ten-year-old stopped and tugged on my hand. "What's the matter? You seem quieter than usual."

"Oh," I laughed, squeezing her hand and swinging out arms, smiling, "nothing. Come on, it's nearly time for tea. Nanny Julia will be wondering where we've got to."

We turned and headed back towards the house. Not far from the entrance the children used to get in and out, the girls dropped my hands and raced their brothers to the door. I smiled as they disappeared inside, not caring that I would get into trouble with Nanny Julia for letting them do such a thing. It was the same every day and yet I never stopped them; they were only children, after all.

"Evie?" A voice called from behind me.

Turning, my mouth dropped open in surprise as Mr Song approached me, some kind of gun pointing directly at my chest. I gasped, but had no time to do anything before a jet of red light shot from the end of the weapon, hitting me and sending me flying backwards. The man's face loomed into view as blackness overwhelmed me and my eyes were forced to close.

x-x

When I came to, I found that I was strapped to a metal chair. Blinking rapidly, I tried to move my head but found that it, too, was strapped down tightly. Kicking angrily against the straps around my ankles I tried to shout out, but found that my mouth was gagged. Furiously I struggled, determined to break free.

Mrs Song appeared, striding across the room towards me. My eyes widened as she approached, grasping my chin tightly and moving my head to look me directly in the eyes.

"I will remove the gag on the condition that you stay quiet, understand?" She demanded.

I nodded, but the second my mouth was free from the strip of cloth I screamed at the top of my lungs. The woman raised her hand and slapped my hard across the face. The blow was so hard that I could see stars in front of my eyes. It stopped me screaming as I gasped and the woman took the opportunity to stuff the gag back in my mouth.

Still dazed, I watched as she left the room, slamming a heavy metal door behind her. I looked around the room and decided that it was some kind of laboratory. I'd heard about such places and the footman loved to tell horror stories about made professors who experimented on young women, doing all sorts of unspeakable things. Panicking, I started to struggle once more, only succeeding in injuring myself on the straps holding me still.

"Are you ready to cooperate now?" Mrs Song asked, reappearing a short while later. With tears in my eyes I nodded and she removed the gag once more. I gasped for breath, but didn't try screaming again. The stinging in my cheek was still throbbing slightly. "So, Miss Song, where is the Doctor?"

"The… who? The doctor? Well, I suppose he is at the surgery or his house." I answered, wondering why they were asking about Doctor Wilson.

"Not the doctor, you stupid girl." The woman snapped with a sigh, glaring at me. "The Doctor. The Time Lord. Where is he?"

"Time what?" I asked, shaking my head. "I do not know what you're talking about."

She raised her hand and slapped me again. I cried out, unable to defend myself or even raise my hand to my stinging cheek. Then she stalked away across the laboratory, stopping at a tray containing a collection of medical instruments. She hesitated with her hand trailing along the row, apparently deciding which one she needed. I struggled in fear.

"Wait a moment, please… What are you…?" I started as she picked up a large needle and advanced on me, a vial of pale blue liquid in her other hand. "What is that?"

"This, Miss Song, is a vial of Fluxion Hazper Venom. It will reduce you to a state of near-death while we await the arrival of the Doctor. No doubt he will be here to rescue you sooner or later. Until then…" She got closer, drawing the liquid into the needle and putting the vial down on the table to my left.

"Please, wait!" I begged, struggling to no avail. "I honestly do not know who you are talking about! It is very unlikely that this doctor man will appear to save me because I have no knowledge of him. Nor… Fluxion Hazper Venom?"

"You expect us to believe that?" The man asked, appearing in the room. He glanced at Mrs Song, nodding curtly. "Get on with it."

I couldn't even struggle before she plunged the needle into my arm and injected the liquid. It burnt as it surged through my veins and before I could even cry out I felt consciousness slipping away.

x-x

When I woke up, the second time I'd been knocked out in one day, I didn't know whether I wanted to open my eyes or not. For a couple of moments I just listened to what was going on around me, trying to work out what was happening. There was definitely a male voice and a female voice, but I was sure they were different from the ones who had been questioning me earlier.

Opening one eye, I looked out under my eyelashes, taking in my surroundings without drawing their suspicion. They were indeed different people and I appeared to be somewhere else entirely. Instead of being strapped into a metal chair, I was lying on a soft bed with crisp clean sheets. It was much better than the bed I was used to, so evidently I wasn't in my bedroom at Plas Ddirgel.

"River… leave her alone. She needs to sleep." The male voice was saying in a low voice. "The TARDIS can't work on her unless she's in a healing sleep."

The woman exhaled deeply and I felt a hand brush my forehead. It took a lot of self-control to stop myself flinching. "Doctor, I'm worried, alright?"

"I understand that, my love. But there is nothing we can do until she wakes up."

I wanted to open my eyes properly, to sit up and ask what was happening. I wanted to ask where I was and why the woman was clutching my hand so tightly, almost as though she was terrified I was going to vanish. But an overwhelming urge to sleep took over and I closed my eyes yet again, letting the darkness engulf me for the third time that day.

* * *

><p><em><strong>When Evie woke up, her memory was completely restored. River fell on her neck, hugging her tightly and the teenager laughed, swatting her away gently. The Doctor beamed at the pair of them, before muttering something about needing to check the gravity sectors and the cross-dimensional vectors.<strong>_

"_**What actually happened?" Evie asked her mother, moving up in her bed so that she could lean against the headboard more comfortably. River was clinging onto her hand for dear life. "I mean, I remember being in the console room and waiting for you and the Doctor to finish the washing up before we went to the shopping district on Shan Shen, and then I remember being in a massive house and being a nursery maid. But I didn't remember who I was… I was someone else. How did that happen?"**_

_**River shrugged, pretending that it was no big deal. She wouldn't ever tell her daughter how close the teenager had come to being used as a power source for a Voloritan Space Station. It was lucky the Doctor had locked onto her distress signal in time. It was even luckier that she had been carrying her most powerful gun. **_

"_**There was a malfunction in the TARDIS databanks." She said carefully. "The memory board fused, causing a surge and you were thrown through time. The forgetting who you were part was caused by stress amnesia after the temporal shift."**_

_**Evie didn't look totally convinced but, having no reason to doubt her mother, she just shrugged and shuffled back down the bed once more, curling up underneath her duvet. She was still holding River's hand tightly, though neither of them noticed.**_

"_**I still want to go to Shan Shen, though. The Doctor's not getting out of a shopping trip that easily."**_


	77. Orange Moles

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Orange Moles**

* * *

><p><em><strong>This is another River's perspective chapter, written from a prompt by RiverDoctorPotterSong who said,<strong>_ _'it would be cute to see more Daddy-Daughter bonding time'_

_**Hope you like it! :D**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 7

Location: Graxteen Five, Wifrention Network

Date: 1.2 A'dre

* * *

><p><em><strong>After the last time River let the Doctor take Evie out for the day – three months ago on a trip to the Glacial Palaces of Fenton Fo Co – she vowed never, ever to let him take her daughter out of her sight again. Remembering the events that had unfolded without the woman's careful eye on matters and wondering briefly whether a seven-year-old had ever been wanted for treason before, River shuddered and grabbed a jacket. <strong>_

_**Whenever they arrived back in Stormcage, River could always tell that something had not quite gone to plan. Then the full story would come out and she always threatened to stop the Doctor seeing Evie. But River never actually did, knowing how much it would hurt both of them.**_

_**This time, however, she was determined to make sure nothing went wrong.**_

* * *

><p>The Doctor was not difficult to track through the Graxteen Zoo. I was relieved that my last rant had obviously paid off and he had decided to take Evie somewhere suitable for a child for once. The Trenwoon Caves and the Yviple Pits of Flaraa were all well and good for Time Lords and Archaeologists, but they were no place for seven-year-old girls.<p>

As they waited at the kiosk so that the Doctor could pay their entrance fee, I hesitated, sitting on a bench beside a rather large creature. A quick glance told me that he was a Powtreen – the purple fingers and orange spotted forehead gave it away at once.

Moments later they disappeared into the Zoo and I was able to leave the creature behind, slipping a credit stick under the window to the attendant and bouncing on the balls of my feet as I waited for him to print my ticket. It seemed to take forever and the Doctor and Evie were weaving their way further away from me through the crowd.

Snatching the ticket and credit stick as soon as they were pushed back towards me, I almost ran through the large gates without saying a word to the man in the kiosk. Grabbing a newspaper off the stand beside the entrance, I moved towards the Doctor and Evie through the crowd quickly.

"And this, Evie, is incorrectly labelled." The Doctor was saying, pointing to the caged creature in front of him. "It's actually NOT a Fanged Warbler from Ixis. If it was, there would be a series of raised bumps along the edge of each wing. In fact, it's a Green Murdlop from Hixel Seven."

"Is it dangerous?" Evie asked as she examined the large, winged creature carefully, leaning against the bars of the cage. I rolled my eyes. Trust her to only be interested in that.

"No, no." The Doctor assured her quickly, waving his free hand around wildly. "Remember, I promised your mother that there would be no danger involved in this trip."

"Boring!" Evie muttered and the Doctor grinned at her.

"Exactly, but we promised."

I rolled my eyes again as he began to drag Evie off in another direction. I could vaguely hear her chattering away and the Doctor occasionally throwing in the odd comment, stopping to point something out of give an explanation about something.

I was slightly curious as to why the Doctor had actually brought Evie to a Zoo. He'd once told me that he hated the places. For one thing, apparently, they were incredibly inaccurate. The Green Murdlop had just proved this point and, as I hurried past a large enclosure, I realised that the Doctor had stopped to rectify yet another mistake.

"This is clearly not an enclosure of Flenshin Pangolas." He was telling the man beside the gate passionately, jabbing at the sign.

Evie leant against the wall with an irritated look on her face. I watched her from behind my newspaper, sitting on a bench opposite the enclosure. She'd pulled her hair out of the plaits I'd put it in before she left Stormcage and had found a utility belt from somewhere, which was wrapped twice around her body so that it wouldn't fall off. Pushed into one of the pockets of the belt was a screwdriver – not sonic – and in another was a toy gun. I couldn't help smiling at the expression on her face as she turned back to the Doctor.

"OI!" Evie snapped, folding her arms over her chest. "Can you stop arguing now? I want to go and see the Quigsian Moles!"

Looking slightly taken aback by the forcefulness of her words, the Doctor glanced at the man and then back down at Evie, nodding. He glared at the Zoo Keeper, before taking Evie by the hand once more and pulling her away through the crowds of people in the direction of the Talpidae exhibit where the creatures would be found.

Unable to get close enough to hear what they were saying, I had to content myself with watching them from a distance. The Doctor squatted beside Evie, one arm around her waist as he hugged her close, pointing into the enclosure at the large, almost fluorescent orange moles. She turned to face him, her face shining with excitement and her eyes glittering with happiness.

At that moment I realised that whatever mess the Doctor got them into, he would always, always, bring Evie back home safe and sound. This realisation also made me wonder what I was doing, spying on them. Quickly, I turned and headed out of the exhibit and out of the Zoo.

* * *

><p><em><strong>River was lying on her bed in the cell she shared with her daughter in Stormcage when a familiar wheezing sound filled her ears. She smiled and shuffled into a seated position as the TARDIS materialized in the corridor and the door was flung open. <strong>_

_**Evie bounded out of it, darting into the cell as soon as the Doctor soniced it open, throwing herself at her mother. River chuckled and hugged the little girl tightly, spotting that her plaits were back in place – if incredibly wonkily – and the utility belt had vanished.**_

"_**Mum!" Evie cried excitedly, pulling herself out of the woman's hug and bouncing up and down excitedly. "Guess what! The Doctor took me to the Zoo and I saw Quigsian Moles! They actually ARE bright orange! And he told me the difference between an Octimolusc and a Fri'ntraan. Did you know that a Buqusan has three eyes that are hidden underneath its face fur?"**_

_**The archaeologist laughed at her daughter's excitement and turned to smile at the Doctor. "Have a good time, sweetie?"**_

"_**I did indeed!" He agreed grinning, before sending her a meaningful look. "Did you? See anything interesting?"**_

_**River blushed, realising that he must have spotted her at the Zoo. Then she smirked and winked, lifting Evie to her hip and giving her a tight hug. "Just some wild animals."**_


	78. Hot Chocolate and Favours

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Hot Chocolate and Favours**

Age: 18

Location: London, Earth

Date: January 2010

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie sat on a bench in the middle of a busy street waiting. She kept glancing at the time on her Vortex Manipulator, hoping that she'd see the girl she was waiting for before long. It was freezing. Snow lay on the ground in heaps and the threat of more flakes hung in the air. <strong>_

_**Pulling her jacket more tightly around her, Evie spotted a familiar figure heading towards her. Two more figures were with the first, one that the teenager recognised, but didn't really know, and the other who she didn't recognise at all. As they got closer, Evie stood up, pushing her gloved hands deeper into her pockets.**_

* * *

><p>"Evie Song!" A comfortingly familiar American voice called out as he walked towards me. "Good to see you, Titch." Jack held out his arms and hugged me tightly, spinning round so fast that I was terrified he was going to slip on the icy ground and fall on top of me. Laughing as though he realised why I looked so concerned, Jack raised his foot. "I've got good grip."<p>

"Hi, Uncle Jack." I said, laughing as well and swatting his arm as he winked cheekily. "Lucie… we meet again."

The girl smiled at me, an annoyingly knowing look on her face. Her long hair was slightly shorter than it had been the first time I'd seen her. "Jack said you wanted to see me?" I nodded, but didn't answer, looking past her at the third person who'd approached me. Glancing in the direction my gaze was fixed, Lucie shrugged. "This is Jessica…"

"Another friend I don't know yet?" I asked, sighing and raising my eyebrow in slight annoyance.

"You could say that." Jessica agreed with a small shrug. She looked bored, as though she wasn't the slightest bit bothered about being there. There was something about her that caught my attention more than was usual. Jack caught my glare and smirked even more broadly.

"You're loving this, aren't you?" I demanded, thumping him lightly on the chest. "Knowing more than I do?"

He laughed and nodded. "Of course! It rarely happens! I gotta make the most of it!"

"So, Evie, what can I do for you?" Lucie asked, putting her hands on her hips and fixing me with a hard look. Her purple-flecked eyes stared at me, as though she was seeing into my mind and she smirked.

Growling softly, I looked away, scanning the area. "Not here… let's go and get a drink."

No one objected, so I tucked my hands back into the pockets of my coat once more and headed along the street to a café that Donna had once taken me to on one of the many shopping trips she and I had taken into London.

I waited until we'd all placed our orders and the nosy-looking waitress had disappeared into the back. Then I pulled out the small red box Lucie had given me almost nine months in my past. For a moment I was transfixed by the shimmering material, which the Doctor had informed me was Milt-Worm silk form the Greshon Galaxy, before I placed it on the table between Lucie and myself.

"I need you to do me a favour." I told her seriously, looking at her over the rim of my coffee mug. I took a sip before placing the mug on the table and leaning back in my chair.

"What is it?"

"The favour or the box?" I asked, smirking slightly.

Lucie grinned as well. "Both."

"I need you to deliver the box to me at a certain time and at a certain place. You can't tell me why, but you have to make sure I understand not to open the box until I get to the Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade… not that I'll pay any attention…" I told her with a shrug.

"But what is it?" Jack asked, leaning forwards and reaching for the box. Quickly I swiped it towards Lucie.

Shaking my head, I sighed. "It can't be opened until I need it. It's vitally important, but dangerous."

"But why –?" Jack started again.

"It's a Dexin Warp Star." Jack and Lucie looked confused, but Jessica didn't. I narrowed my eyes at her, wondering why she seemed totally disinterested in this piece of information, but she just smirked at me. "You don't need to know what it does, just get it to me at the time and place on this piece of paper."

I slid a scrap of paper to Lucie and she snatched it up, opening it and reading what was on it. Then she smiled and nodded. "I'll be there."

"Oh… and when you give me that, I'll be really wary of you, so tell me that that the key I wear on a chain around my neck is my key to the TARDIS. That'll really freak me out, but it will make me trust you. Oh, and tell me that when I'm trying to sneak in and out of our cell in Stormcage, I struggle to reach the key because Mum hid it and she's taller than me." I told her with a grin.

Jack chuckled and started to stand up. He drained his coffee and grabbed his jacket off the back of the chair, glancing at the two girls he'd accompanied. "We'd better be off, ladies."

"Anything exciting going down in Cardiff?" I asked, a little jealous that my Godfather was leaving with these two girls who I knew almost nothing about.

"The usual. Although recently there's been more Weevil activity than normal. Might be something to do with a spike in rift activity that's been predicted, but who knows!" He said, as calmly as though he was talking about a football match.

"If you need a hand…?" I started, trailing off as he raised an eyebrow.

"Why? You bored, Miss Song? Hasn't the Doctor got exciting enough adventures for you anymore?"

Lucie looked a little jealous at the mention of the Doctor and I couldn't help feeling a little smug. Apparently, whatever she knew that I didn't, she didn't know the Doctor. Jessica, however, barely reacted to the mention of his name, as though it wasn't interesting enough to warrant any attention.

"Who are you?" I asked bluntly and, though I didn't particularly care, rather rudely.

At that she did look taken aback. "Jessica… Jessica Miller." She said trying to compose herself after the sudden change in my tone.

"And you know who I am?"

"Yes."

"But I don't know who you are?"

"Not yet. You will do." She assured me with a genuine smile.

Again I narrowed my eyes at her, struggling to work out why she looked familiar. On the other hand, I was sure I'd never seen her before in my life. Jessica had light brown hair and big, greeny-blue eyes that seemed to twinkle as though she was constantly amused that she knew more than those around her. Shaking my head, I put my questions about her out of my mind.

"Right…" Turning away from her, I followed the others out of the café, before I smiled at Jack and Lucie. "I guess this is goodbye for now then."

"I guess it is." Jack agreed, hugging me tightly and kissing my hair. "I'll see you around, kid."

I gave Lucie a small wave and smiled weakly at Jessica, before moving away from them along the damp, grey pavement. I was about to set the coordinates for Stormcage into my Vortex Manipulator and head for home, when Jack's voice caught my attention and I whirled around.

"I'm guessing you've got your VM, Jess. I'll take Lucie back to the hub and see you soon. Give your love to your Mom, kiddo."

Before I could open my mouth to demand more answers as to who the girl was, all three of them had vanished. Furrowing my brow, I fiddled with my own wrist strap and pressed the button, whirling away through the Vortex.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Ahh! Yet ANOTHER mysterious character arriving to annoy Evie! Any theories on who she might be? :P**_

_**I hope you enjoyed the chapter and massive amounts of thanks and love and hugs to everyone who's reading, reviewing, favouriting and subscribing. It really does mean a lot to know that you guys are enjoying Evie's story!**_


	79. Thimble Museum

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Thimble Museum**

Age: 14

Location: Santirpa Maxon

Date: 2022

* * *

><p>"Gran?" I called, wandering through the museum she and Gramps had brought me to. Somehow I'd managed to lose them somewhere between the entrance and the 'Thimbles of Victorian Earth Britain' exhibit.<p>

I had absolutely no interest in looking around a museum of thimbles. There was nothing exciting about thimbles. Absolutely nothing. But Mum and the Doctor had disappeared off and left us here for a 'nice, safe day out'. They hadn't mentioned anything about thimbles, though.

"Are you alright?" A voice asked and I turned round immediately, finding myself looking into the kindly face of a Cat Person.

The Doctor had told me about the CatKind before. A group of them, called the Sisters of Plenitude – if I remembered rightly – were nurses at a hospital in New New York when had he visited a while ago. Apparently they were Thimble Museum Curators as well.

"You're a Cat Person." I pointed out needlessly.

She smiled. "I am indeed. My name is Esmarelda Eppington Flint."

"Evie Song."

"Now… are you lost? Are your parents are here somewhere?" Esmarelda asked gently, bending forward slightly and speaking to me as though I were a small child. I arched an eyebrow.

"No, I'm not lost and my parents aren't here." I told her firmly. "My grandparents should be… well they were here a minute ago."

Esmarelda looked at me curiously. Then she smiled. Apparently she thought I had some kind of interest in thimbles, because she started to give me a personalised live tour of the museum. Gran and Gramps were absolutely nowhere to be seen. I smiled politely, trying not to let the kind Cat Woman realise that I was absolutely bored out of my mind. It wasn't her fault that I didn't find thimbles riveting.

Three and a half hours later we reached the end of the exhibit and Esmarelda realised what the time was. She gasped in surprised and smiled at me broadly. I had to force my face muscles into action to return the look.

"Well! Doesn't time fly when you're having fun?" She asked brightly.

"Mmmm…" I answered, noncommittally.

"But where are your grandparents?" Esmarelda looked around worriedly. I was thinking the same thing.

When I spotted them in the small tea room, however, it was not relief I felt. I was going to kill them. Pointing them out to the Cat Woman, I thanked her again and made my way as quickly as possible into the room, where I stood with my hands on my hips glaring at them.

"Why, and I stress WHY, did you bring me to a thimble museum and then abandon me to look at thimbles for three and a half hours?" I demanded furiously.

Gran grinned, trying to look innocent. "We thought you were having a good time!"

"You vanished off inside before we'd even paid. So we figured that we'd just wait here for you… d'you want a drink? Cake?" Gramps explained, before trying to distract me with treats.

I narrowed my eyes for a moment, before dropping into the seat beside Gran and nodding. Gramps disappeared off to the counter to buy my snacks, while Gran fiddled with my hair. At first I tugged my curls free of her hands, but then her soothing fingers calmed me down and I leant into her side, letting her play with it properly. She plaited sections, un-plaited them, twisted them and smoothed it down again.

"Feeling better?" She asked, smiling down at me, her face upside down.

I nodded. "Thanks."

"Good." Gran smiled at Gramps who returned, placing a Quasho Berry Smoothie on the table in front of me, along with a slice of Ockle Cake. "Now… tell us about thimbles."

I glared at her.

* * *

><p><em><strong>This was written from a prompt from <strong>__**NaviRebel16, who asked for;**_ 'more interaction with Amy and Rory; that would be awesome!'

_**Because it's her birthday I thought I'd humour her ;)**_

_**I know there isn't a massive amount of interaction with Amy and Rory in this chapter, but there is some! I'll make sure I put some more in at some point! :) Hope you liked it anyway! :D**_


	80. Festive Cheer 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Festive Cheer - Christmas Eve**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Another 'River's Perspective' chapter for you. This is also my Christmas present to you lot, because you're all so wonderful! I hope you have a brilliant time and get lots of Who-related gifts! :D<strong>_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 6

Location: The TARDIS

Date: December 24th

* * *

><p>I really love Christmas; the Doctor being all festive and waving mistletoe around and Evie running about totally over-excited by everything.<p>

On the other hand, this particular Christmas was turning out to be anything BUT festive. The Doctor, for some inexplicable reason, was being totally ridiculous about presents. He was refusing to let me go into any room except the console room and our bedroom. He was also adamant that he was going to cook Christmas dinner. Evie, however, was in a foul mood. For a six-year-old she was doing a remarkable impression of a stroppy teenager.

Finally I managed to pin her down for long enough to find out what was the matter. She glared up at me, from where I was almost sitting on her in an attempt to keep her in the chair, with a tinsel and wire angel's halo attached to her head on a hair band. Her dark curls and large blue-green eyes added to the cherubic look, but the fierce glare and sulky pout reminded me that she was as far from being an angel as it was possible to be.

"What's the matter?" I demanded gently, stroking her hair. "It's Christmas Eve! Aren't you excited about Father Christmas coming to visit?"

"No." Evie snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"Why not?" She just folded her arms across her chest and refused to answer. "Evie?"

There was a long pause. "The Doctor said that Santa wasn't real. And I was thinking about it… how would he get into the TARDIS anyway? The Doctor said that nothing can get in without her letting them. Would she let Santa in?"

My mouth dropped open in horror. My daughter was six and the Doctor had already ruined the magic of Christmas for her by telling her that Santa Claus didn't exist. I was going to kill him.

"Wait here." I ordered, kissing the tip of her nose.

Marching to the door of the kitchen, I hammered furiously on it until I heard hurrying footsteps and his face appeared in the tiny crack that appeared between the door and the frame as he opened it. If I hadn't been so furious I would have laughed at the worried expression on his face and the flour in his hair.

"What the HELL have you been telling Evie about Father Christmas?" I demanded, my eyes flashing and my hands on my hips.

He looked confused. "Nothing?"

"Oh yeah? Well she says that you told her he wasn't real." I snapped. "And now she's in a foul mood and it's all your fault."

"What?"

"Yes and if she's in a mood because of you, then you are not going to enjoy Christmas very much, Time Lord. Neither are you going to get your Christmas presents." I warned him angrily.

"You got me presents?" He asked, looking delighted.

Arching an eyebrow at him I frowned. "Whether I did or not isn't relevant if you don't get in her bedroom and convince Evie you were lying and Father Christmas is, in fact, as real as we are."

"Well he is."

"So why did you tell her he isn't!"

"I didn't!"

"Well Evie says you did."

"Well I di– Oh…" He started and then trailed off, looking slightly guilty.

"Oh?"

He looked at me, pulling a face. "We might have had a teeny-tiny conversation about commercialism and how Santa isn't a jolly old man with a big, fluffy, white beard and a red suit. But I didn't tell her he wasn't real."

"She's six, Doctor." I pointed out, exasperated not for the first time that day. "She doesn't need to know all that stuff."

"But it's not tr–" He began before I cut him off by holding up my hands and turning away. "OK, OK… I'll tell her. Actually, I've got a better idea. I'll show her."

I instantly felt worried and turned back to look at him. He was grinning encouragingly at me like an idiot, so I just sighed and headed back to Evie's bedroom wracking my brains to come up with an idea of how to convince her that Santa definitely IS real.

x-x

"This way…" I heard the Doctor muttering from outside.

Intrigued, but also slightly concerned, I got up from the chair in the corner of Evie's bedroom and padded over to the door. Pulling it quietly open I stuck my head out into the corridor and saw the Doctor striding quickly towards me with another man beside him.

Closing the door quickly, I glared at him, looking at the other man. He was short and stocky and obviously knew his way around the gym, judging by the muscles bulging out of his unnecessarily tight t-shirt. He had closely cropped dark hair and designer stubble.

"Who the HELL is that?" I snapped, not bothered about being rude.

"This is Nick." The Doctor beamed.

I stared back at him, bewildered. "Nick who?"

"Just Nick." I looked totally blank, so he sighed and pulled a face. "He's also known as Santa Claus and Father Christmas."

"That's Father Christmas?" I demanded incredulously.

The Doctor nodded. "Say hello to River, Nick."

"River Song!" Nick exclaimed with a smirk. "I remember you asked me for a toy cannon when you were seven."

"Never got it, did I?" I snapped, trying to hide my own smile. "I got a stupid doll instead."

"Yes and you threw it under a bus!" The Doctor scolded lightly, grinning despite his words.

"But you can't go in her room looking like that!" I pointed out, nodding towards Evie's door. "You'll absolutely terrify her. Either that or she'll shoot you with her laser blaster." I paused for a moment, thinking hard. I beamed as a brilliant idea entered my head. "I've got an idea…"

A short while later, Nick was outside Evie's bedroom once more. This time, however, he was wearing a red suit and hat, a scarily convincing fake beard and was carrying a large sack over his shoulder – all kindly provided by the TARDIS. As he waited for my nod of approval, I looked him up and down with satisfaction. Then I nodded and encouraged him to go into the room.

We waited outside nervously, unable to hear what was going on. Just over ten minutes later, Nick reappeared, closing the door carefully and sending us a thumbs up. I grinned at the Doctor.

As soon as we were back in the Console Room and Nick was taking off his costume, I turned to him eagerly. "What happened?"

"I explained that the Doctor was only talking about the Santas they have in shopping centres and on television and those sorts of things. I told her that they're my helpers because I'm far too busy to do public appearances. She said of course and that would just be silly. So then I explained that the TARDIS lets me in because I'm magic. She seemed quite convinced." He told us with a broad grin.

"And she believed that?" I couldn't quite believe it. I would never have expected Evie to be so ready to believe such a story.

"Yes. In fact, she said that of course the stupid Doctor had got it wrong, because he's always making things up when he doesn't really know that answers and he's always saying silly things to impress you, River."

"What?" The Doctor complained, pouting and blushing a deep crimson. "Rude and clearly not true."

I laughed and rubbed his arm comfortingly. "But she was alright?"

"Oh yeah." Nick assured us, nodding. "She was distracted at that point by her present."

"What did you give her?"

"A doll." The Doctor and I exchanged a look. Evie had never expressed the slightest interest in dolls.

"Did she like it?" THe Time Lord asked, looking apprehensive.

Nick shook his head. "She shot it."

"Typical." I said fondly.

"So I gave her a new pair of boots instead. She seemed happy with those."

As we waved Nick on his way, blinking and missing him disappear in a shower of sparkles which sped away through the sky outside the TARDIS doors, I slipped my hand into the Doctor's. "D'you want your present early?"

He nodded, turning to me with anticipation. His face split into a broad grin as I produced a bright red jumper with a large Christmas tree – complete with sparkly pom-poms and tinsel – from behind my back.

"Merry Christmas, sweetie." I murmured, kissing him.


	81. Festive Cheer 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Festive Cheer – Christmas Day**

* * *

><p><em><strong>HAPPY CHRISTMAS SWEETIES! <strong>_

_**I really hope you've all had the most fantastic day and enjoyed Doctor Who!**_

_**This is the second part of my Christmas present to you! I hope you enjoy it! :)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 23

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: December 25th 2016

* * *

><p>"I just don't see why we had to do all the cooking!" I complained as Gran passed me a fork to check the potatoes which were par-boiling on the hob before they put them into the oven to roast.<p>

"Because that's what happens when everyone comes round to you for Christmas!" Mum pointed out, running her hands agitatedly through her hair. "Evie… just… get out of my kitchen, alright? Go and see where your father and grandfather have got to. Jenny, Mum and I have got dinner covered."

Gratefully I escaped from the kitchen and went into the living room. Dad and Gramps were sitting on the sofa, a bowl of salted peanuts between them, watching an old Christmas film on the television.

"Been kicked out of the kitchen?" Gramps asked understandingly. I nodded and he smiled, patting the space between them on the sofa.

I grinned and dropped down into the gap, balancing the bowl of peanuts on my lap. Every couple of minutes Dad would grab a handful, closely followed by Gramps and then by me. It was a comfortable rhythm as we concentrated on the film projected onto the blank stretch of wall in front of us.

For the last couple of years we'd taken it in turns to host Christmas dinner. Last year Donna and Jack had hosted, with everyone descending on them. The year before, it had been Sarah Jane and Luke's turn. The year before that everyone had gone to Gran and Gramps'. This year Mum and Dad were hosting. Well, technically Mum was hosting with Dad pretending to be useless at everything to get out of doing much. All he was remotely good at was decorating – apart from putting up the fairy lights; he'd got in a terrible tangle with those.

Mum was determined that they would get the majority of the dinner cooked before everyone descended on us. Donna, Jack, Wilf, Sylvia, Zoe, Sam and Hannah had phoned about half an hour ago to say they were an hour away and Sarah Jane, Luke and his girlfriend Ali were about fifteen minutes behind them. Mum had got flustered at the news, declaring that it was just as well that Martha, Micky, Gwen, Rhys and their children weren't coming until tomorrow or she might have had some kind of breakdown.

"Calm down, Mum." I urged, grinning. "It's Christmas day, that's all!"

"I know, I know! But Sylvia will be here pointing out all the flaws and Jack and your father will start arguing and the kids will be under my feet… Oh! And then the Doctor and Dad and Jack and Luke and Wilf will disappear to the pub. And you and Jenny will bicker and Donna and Sylvia will start and then Mum will –"

"Stop!" I laughed, putting my hands on her shoulders. "Just stop! That happens every single year! It's traditional!"

"But I want to prove I can do a perfect Christmas!"

I laughed even harder. "There is no perfect Christmas! Remember at Gran and Gramps' when the turkey was too big for the oven and bits of it were either burnt or still frozen? Or when little Zoe knocked over her drink and blew the electrics at Donna's? Or when we all got snowed in at Sarah Jane's?"

"Yes, but–"

"And did we all enjoy ourselves anyway?"

"Yes, but–"

"So does it REALLY matter if it's not completely perfect?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mum could help a smile twitching over her lips. "I suppose not."

"Thank you!" I grinned, reaching past her and grabbing a mince pie off the plate. "Now, you do your thing… I'm gonna go… eat chocolate!"

She swatted at me as I escaped back into the living room and assured Dad and Gramps that the crisis had been averted. We stayed on the sofa, eating the chocolates from my stocking and the peanuts from the bowl until the doorbell rang and I went to let our guests in.

Lunch was the usual chaotic experience that it always was. With twenty people, including seven children aged seven and under, crammed around a dining table, passing bowls of vegetables and jugs of gravy backwards and forwards, over each other's heads and around each other, it was never going to be a quiet affair. The sound of crackers being pulled and people laughing filled the room. When lunch was finished the mess was unbelievable, but we just left the dining room and closed the door, retreating to the living room for the present opening.

Wilf, Sylvia and Sarah Jane insisted on watching the Queen's speech before we were allowed loose on the presents – something which the other adults backed them in, much to our annoyance. But then it was a free for all, with wrapping paper flying around and creating a knee deep ocean on the living room floor. No one was really sure what was from who and in some cases what belonged to who, but no one cared. Jenny and I immediately put on the matching onsies that Dad had bought us – TARDIS blue with stars all over them and refused to take them off, no matter how hard everyone laughed. Wilf wore his reindeer antlers completely unashamedly and even Sylvia consented to wear the Santa hat her younger granddaughter put on her head.

By the evening, the children were all falling asleep wherever they were sitting and the Doctor, Gramps, Jack, Wilf, Rhys and Luke had escaped to the pub. Donna and Gwen put their children to bed and the rest of us relaxed in a state of contented exhaustion.

Raising my head to look at Mum from my position on the floor I smiled. "So? As dreadful as you thought?"

"No." She said at once, smiling and shaking her head firmly. "Perfect."


	82. Festive Cheer 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Festive Cheer – New Year's Eve**

* * *

><p><em><strong>HAPPY NEW YEAR! <strong>_

_**I'm sorry this is a shorter-than-usual chapter and also that the last three have been so… fluffy! But that's what you need at Christmas, right? Cheerful, family-orientated fluff! :P**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 21

Location: Transelon Petrixa, Finquin Cascade

Date: December 31st 7391

* * *

><p>"It's just a little bit further now." Dad assured Mum and me as we followed him, growling in annoyance over the rough ground.<p>

He had promised to take us somewhere special for our first New Year's Eve as a proper family with _almost_ no secrets. We'd both dressed up for the occasion, wondering where we were going. Mum fancied a Hollywood party with celebrities like Marilyn Monroe or Marlon Brando or Audrey Hepburn. But Dad pointed out that he'd once, accidentally, got engaged to Marilyn and it probably wasn't a good idea to take his wife and daughter to meet her.

I wondered whether we were going to Dr'wn in the Hespil Cascade, which I'd heard was supposed to be amazing for nightlife. So far both of my parents had kept me away from there, but maybe tonight they'd changed their minds. Quickly Dad assured me – and more importantly Mum – that we were definitely not going to Dr'wn.

"Are we almost there?" I demanded, almost tripping over the uneven ground in my towering heels.

"Yes, yes! Be patient!" He snapped, leading Mum by the hand. She glanced at me and gave a little shrug, clutching his hand tightly.

I rolled my eyes and said nothing, feeling rather like a gooseberry between my parents. Rather than stare at their backs I looked around me, wondering what could possibly be so fantastic that we had to traipse over such uneven ground for what felt like miles. Not for the first time I found myself wondering why Dad hadn't mastered the art of parking the TARDIS close to his destination.

"Are we al–" I started again, but quickly stopped.

The sight that met my eyes as I reached the top of the steep grassy slope took my breath away and even I found it impossible to complain. Stretching out in front of me was a great expanse of water. It was so still that it could have been made of glass. The cliff we were standing on seemed to be in the middle of a huge natural harbour, with all the surrounding cliffs glittering and sparkling in the moonlight.

"It's beautiful!" Mum breathed, her voice barely audible.

Dad grinned, almost as though his face was about to split with the size of his smile. He glanced at me and, if possible, his smile widened as he realised that I was speechless. For once I didn't know what to say.

"It gets better." Dad said softly, pulling Mum down to sit on the edge of the cliff, her legs dangling over the edge. She quickly removed her shoes, worried about losing them over the edge. I followed suit, sitting on her right as Dad sat on her other side.

We didn't have long to wait before a bright light burst upwards, exploding into a shower of tiny red sparks. I gasped, seeing the lights reflected, not only on the still water below us, but on the sparkling cliffs all around as well. The colours danced and sparkled as more and more fireworks of all imaginable colours exploded above our heads. Unlike Earth fireworks there were no loud bangs and pops accompanying the lights.

When the last sparks died out, falling and fading slowly and silently, we sat for a few moments in silence. Speaking or movement would have ruined the moment and none of us could bring ourselves to do it.

Finally, Dad noticed Mum shivering and stood up, holding out his hand. She took it gratefully and he pulled her to her feet before helping me to mine. Dad waited as we slipped our shoes on, before wrapping his arm around Mum's waist and taking a firm hold of my head. We started back towards the TARDIS, still in silence.

"Well? Did I do good?" He asked with their air of a small child who wanted to be praised.

"Better than good." Mum assured him with a kiss on his cheek.

"Amazing." I agreed, kissing his other cheek.

Dad looked like he was about to burst with happiness. "It's about to get better."

Glancing at each other, Mum and I grinned as he pulled us back to the TARDIS and sent us whirling away through time and space.


	83. Hidden Clue

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Hidden Clue**

Age: 12

Location: Elison Pentar, Tranteen Spiral

Date: 291046.9

* * *

><p>Someone had a strange sense of humour, I decided, traipsing through a field of long, blue grass after Mum. She'd been on the hunt for some artefact or another that, apparently, had been lost for generations. There was always a link between anything Mum went after – it was always lost and I was never impressed when we eventually found it.<p>

"This way, Evie!" Mum called over her shoulder, pointing to her left.

I rolled my eyes and followed wordlessly. We'd been walking for what felt like hours. In reality I had no idea how long it had actually been.

A wooden structure loomed suddenly out of the long grass, as though it had just appeared from thin air. Mum was hesitating at the door, looking back for me. When she saw me, she grinned and went inside.

Following her without thinking, I entered the gloomy wooden shed. That's all it was; a wooden shed. Inside, I walked straight into Mum. For some reason she had stopped just inside the doors and crouched down, looking at something on the floor. I had to grab hold of a shelf to stop myself tumbling over her.

As I grabbed the shelf, it gave way, tilting downwards and I very nearly collapsed on top of Mum anyway. She gave a startled squawk as I grabbed her shoulders, but I quickly realised that the sound had nothing to do with me. As the shelf had tipped, a trap door in front of her had dropped down, leaving a large hole in the floor.

Mum glanced at me before grinning and pulling a torch out of her utility belt and shining it down into the darkness below. The beam didn't even reach the bottom. With a small grin, Mum pulled something out of her utility belt and dangled it into the hole. A ladder unravelled and fell silently into the darkness. There was a quiet tap and the movement stopped, giving the impression that it had reached the bottom.

"I'll go first." Mum told me firmly, ignoring the fact that I opened my mouth to argue. "You wait here until I tell you it's safe."

"What if someone tries to kidnap me?" I asked awkwardly, pouting at her.

Mum smirked and started descending the ladder. "They'd soon bring you back. Now don't move until I tell you."

I pulled a face after her as she went, the torch now tucked into her utility belt pointing downwards so that the beam illuminated the way. I took out my own torch, clicking it on and shining it around the shed disinterestedly. Leaning against the wall behind me, I pushed my free hand into the pocket of my jeans while continuing to move the torch beam about.

"Hang on…" I muttered, moving forward quickly and tugging a scrap of paper from underneath a large pot. Only a corner was visible and as I pulled it, it tore slightly. Swearing under my breath I tried to lift the pot to free the paper.

"Evie?" Mum shouted from the bottom of the hole. "Evie!"

"Hang on!"

"Where are you?"

I sighed and put all my strength into raising the pot slightly. It moved just enough to free the paper. Grinning I moved to the trapdoor with it clutched in my hand. "I'm here!"

"Come down… it's safe." Mum ordered, shining her torch into my face.

When I reached the bottom of the ladder, which wasn't very stable and hurt my hands as I gripped the thin metal rungs, I handed the scrap of paper to Mum. She furrowed her eyebrows, looking between it and me, before reading it quickly. Then a grin spread over her features and she grabbed my face, planting a kiss on my forehead.

"Oh, you little genius!" She exclaimed, kissing me several more times. "Where did you find this?"

I pointed upwards. "Up there. Why? What is it?"

"This piece of paper, Evie Song, has the co-ordinates to the Crown of Codoroi and the code to the security vault written on it."

"Really?"

"Yes!"

Excitedly, she began heading through the tunnels we'd descended into. The walls seemed to be made of very wet earth, my hands getting dirty as I touched them. The ground beneath my feet squelched slightly as we walked. Mum tapped the screen of her hand-held computer, entering the coordinates on the scrap of paper and following the pulsing red dot on the screen.

The tunnels wound around, turning sharply so that it was difficult to keep track of where we were going. It went up and down steeply and without any warning at all. Without the map on the device in Mum's hands we'd have no idea where we were. The tunnels branched off, splitting into two or three different paths that wound away into the distance, presumably meeting up again somewhere else.

Finally we reached a dead end. The pulsing red dot had stopped as well. Shooting a bemused look in my direction, she looked back at the device, bashing it several times with the heel of her palm as though that would change where the dot was.

"Like that's gonna help." I muttered, pushing past her and running my hands over the wall in front of us.

"What are you doing?" She snapped, rolling her eyes as though she though I were being stupid.

"Looking for some kind of trigger… there has to be something."

"You've watched too many films." Mum muttered, returning her attention to recalibrating her computer, thinking that perhaps the signal had been affected.

Ignoring her, I continued to feel across the damp mud of the wall, looking for anything that didn't feel quite right. Finally I felt a cold, hard circle embedded into the mud in the bottom left hand corner of the wall. It felt like metal and, as I pushed it hard, there was a hydraulic sounding hiss and the wall moved. Grinning smugly at Mum, I stood back as she scanned the tunnel beyond with her computer before glancing in surprise at the red dot which had begun to pulse again as soon as our path was clear once more.

"I found the trigger." I muttered, pleased with myself.

She made a 'hmph' sound in her throat, before leading the way more hesitantly into the darkness. After more walking – the ground here was even wetter than before and I slipped a couple of times, grabbing onto Mum to stay upright – we came to a metal grid embedded into the wall. Shining the torch onto the scrap of paper, Mum read out the security code for the vault while I typed it in.

There was a screechy beeping and then the hydraulic sound sounded again as the grid slid apart in sections, some dropping, others rising and more moving horizontally. When they stopped, River led the way through the gap scanning with her computer.

Inside, rather than the muddy ground and walls, the tunnels were metal and well light. Expectantly I followed Mum through them until we reached a doorway. It wasn't locked and, as she turned the handle, Mum pushed it open to reveal a white room. The only thing inside was a white cube, on top of which sat an antique looking wooden box.

Covering the space in four long strides, Mum snatched it up and returned to my side, grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the vault. No sooner had we left the white room than red lights started flashing and a siren blared. We sprinted through the metal tunnels. As the grid came into sight, my heart almost stopped as I realised that it was slowly closing.

We sped up, throwing ourselves through the grid. Mum's jacket got trapped as it shut and she ripped it off hurriedly, taking everything out of her pockets. Handing some of it to me, she shoved what she could in her pockets before we set off through the muddy tunnels once more, following the red dot which Mum had programmed to lead us back to the surface.

* * *

><p><em><strong>As Evie and River emerged from the wooden shed which covered the entrance to the tunnels, a familiar wheezing sound reached their ears and a blue police box began to materialise in the grass a little way off. The girl grinned and turned quickly to her mother who sighed and nodded. <strong>_

_**With her mother's permission, Evie sprinted towards the TARDIS and bashed on the doors. At once they opened and the Doctor stuck his head out, grinning at the girl and winking at her mother.**_

"_**Can I offer you a lift, my lady?" He asked, bowing and twirling his hands theatrically. She grinned and went inside while he waited for her mother, leaning against the doorframe. **_


	84. Misunderstandings

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Misunderstandings**

Age: 29

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: May 2012

* * *

><p>I walked into the Torchwood Hub and, for once, was greeted by the entire team. I grinned over the railings at Martha and Mickey who were down in the Med Bay, before making my way up the staircase to Jack's office. I could hear raised voices from inside and hesitated, wondering whether to intrude.<p>

"Don't worry." Gwen said, poking her head out of the 'board room' next door and grinning at me. "It's just Donna giving him a piece of her mind."

I laughed and hugged the woman tightly, before moving aside so that she could descend into the pain part of the Hub. Then I took a deep breath and knocked on the door before opening it and going inside.

Donna whirled around to glare at whoever was interrupting her tirade. When she realised that it was me, her eyes lit up and she smiled. Jack looked incredibly relieved that their argument, probably totally one-sided, had ended.

"How are you, sweetheart?" The red-head asked, moving around the desk to hug me tightly.

I looked at her, slightly confused by her tone. "I'm fine… why?"

"Oh… no reason. I better be going… I don't like leaving Zoe with Mum for too long. See you later." She said lightly, before pointing meaningfully at Jack. He raised his hands in surrender, before sitting in his desk chair and smiling at his goddaughter.

"So, Titch, what brings you to see me?"

"Jack… I'm twenty-nine." I muttered, rolling my eyes at him and perching on the edge of his desk. "You need to stop calling me Titch!"

"Why?" He demanded, a cheeky grin on his face. "You are a Titch. Besides, you don't look twenty-nine. If I saw you in the street I'd think you were about sixteen."

Sighing, I rolled my eyes again. "I know. That's the bad thing about the whole Gallifreyan genes… apparently I've stopped aging physically."

"Hey, don't knock it!" Jack chuckled, pointing at himself. I laughed, admitting that it would probably be a good thing as I got older. "So? Why did you come and see me?"

"Listen…" I hesitated, not sure how to broach the subject with him. Then I lost my nerve and shook my head. "It doesn't matter. What was Donna so angry about?"

Jack didn't look convinced by my falsely light tone, but didn't push me. "Oh, you know Donna. She doesn't agree with my reasons for not letting her have a job here. I've tried telling her it's too dangerous for a woman with a baby but–"

"Gwen's got a baby." I pointed out, raising my eyebrows.

"That's not… Gwen's… She's different." Jack snapped, looking ruffled.

"What? Because she's not the mother of your daughter?" I asked, smirking and arching an eyebrow at him. Jack snorted and didn't answer, but I knew that I had hit the nail on the head. "Jack… you can't wrap Donna up in cotton wool. She's tough and independent. You'll just drive her away."

"I just don't want to lose her." He muttered in a low voice.

"Don't get all soppy on me, Jack." I warned him. "Besides, you're more likely to lose her if you try and keep her hidden away and safe."

He made a growling sound and stood up. I could tell that he didn't like me giving him advice. I knew that he was even more annoyed because he knew I was right. Grinning, I stood up as well and walked over to where he was standing with his back to me. Putting my hands on his shoulders gently, I gave them a small squeeze.

"Jack… you know Donna, maybe better than anyone. You know that she only acts the way she does because she's terrified. She remembers what her life was like before you, before Dad, and she can't go back to that. She wants to prove that there's more to her than being a mother and a temp." I reminded him.

Turning slowly, he held out his arms for a hug. Smiling and knowing that he was feeling vulnerable because he knew he was wrong, I fell into his arms and snuggled close to him. Burying his face in my neck, Jack sighed.

"Jack, I–" Gwen interrupted, throwing open the door. She stopped abruptly as, shocked by the sudden sound, Jack and I sprang apart. "Oh, god, sor– oh, shit!"

The door slammed shut and Jack and I looked at each other in abject horror before racing to wrestle the door open. Gwen had apparently run down the stairs because she was nowhere in sight. Swearing, Jack and I split up to look for her so that we could explain.

I almost jumped down the stairs to the Med Bay, demanded to know whether Mickey or Martha had seen Gwen. Both shook their heads so I swore loudly again and, leaving them staring questioningly after me, I raced down the steps towards the vaults.

I raced along the rows of cells containing Weevils and breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Gwen in the furthest cell, biting her thumbnail and pacing backwards and forwards deep in thought. She stopped as she noticed me watching. For a moment she resumed the pacing, but then she burst through the door and advanced on me furiously, her finger jabbing in my direction.

"How could you?" She demanded. "How could you, Evie?"

"I didn't–"

"You know, I could have believed it of Jack. I almost expected it. But you?"

"Gwen, honestly, it wasn't–"

"How could you do that to Donna? She's like family to you… she's like your Aunt? How could you take Jack away from her?"

Holding up my hands, I'd finally had enough. Bringing my hand quickly through the air, I slapped her across the face, my eyes flashing dangerously. For a moment, Gwen watched me in stunned silence. Then she launched herself at me, slapping me back. I screamed and grabbed her hair, trying to pull her away from me. I didn't want to fight with Gwen, but I was furious that she thought I was capable of doing that to Donna.

"Ladies!" Jack shouted, skidding towards us and forcefully prising us apart. He stood in front of me, holding out his hands in Gwen's direction to stop the irate woman leaping at me again. "Calm down!"

"No!" Gwen shrieked. "Jack… how could you?"

"I'm getting a bit bored of that question." I muttered under my breath. Jack reached behind him and slapped my arm.

"Gwen, honey, listen. What you saw… it's not what you think you saw."

"Try explaining that to Donna!" Gwen snapped, triumphantly.

All the colour drained from my face and I saw Jack's shoulders slumping slightly. I gripped his upper arm – probably doing nothing to convince Gwen that there was nothing between us – but it was enough to bring him back to reality. Shaking his head, he stepped towards Gwen, taking her face in his hands and looking into her eyes.

"Have you spoken to Donna?" He demanded. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her that you're having an affair." She told him in a dangerous voice. "I told her what I saw."

"What did you see?" I snapped. "You saw us hugging. That's not evidence of an affair!"

"And I saw your faces when I walked in. I know that look…"

"Gwen…" I pushed Jack out of the way and grabbed her hand, staring at her imploringly. "You know me. You know Jack and how he feels about Donna. He's my godfather… I would never… could never…"

"It's not me you have to convince, it's Donna." She said softly, leaning closer to me.

Right on cue, the sirens blared as the main entrance to the Torchwood Hub opened and Donna's raised voice could be heard echoing through the building. I gulped, able to picture the expression on her face as her footsteps thudded down the stairs to the vault.

"Bloody hell…" I muttered, quickly sidestepping behind Jack.

"What the HELL is going on?" Donna demanded, hands on hips and eyes flashing. We all began talking at once.

"I was trying to convince Jack that he was being an idiot about your argument!" I tried to explain.

"Evie was just trying to comfort me. I was upset after our row!" Jack told her.

"I caught them in his office!" Gwen chipped in.

Donna held up her hands. "SHUT UP!"

We all went quiet at once, knowing the expression on her face all too well. Slowly she crossed the short distance between her and us, staring hard at Jack's face. Then she flicked her eyes to mine, furrowing her forehead as she tried to read my expression.

"What happened?" She asked in a quiet voice looking directly at me. Jack started to speak, but she cut him off. "No, Evie, you tell me."

"I… well, when you left I asked Jack what your argument was about and he told me. So I pointed out that you had a point and that he shouldn't try to keep you wrapped up in bubble wrap because that's not you." I explained quickly, my eyes not leaving hers. I didn't even blink. "Then he got upset because he realised I was right, so I gave him a hug. That's all."

She hesitated, wondering whether to believe me. "So… why did Gwen think there was something more?"

"She startled us so we jumped apart. I think she must have mistaken surprise for guilt. Donna, I promise you–"

"Hang on…" She muttered, putting her hands to her head and looking down. "Let… let me just…"

Jack stepped forwards, putting a hand on her cheek and forcing her to look at him. "Donna…"

I glanced at Gwen, whose hand had moved to her cheek which was bright red where my palm had connected with it. Now I thought about it, my own cheek was tingling where she'd slapped me. I winced at her, mouthing 'sorry'. She smiled weakly back, looking acutely embarrassed.

After a few moments of silence, Donna spoke, releasing the tension in the vaults. "Alright… but if you give me any reason to doubt you again… so help me I'll slap you into the next millennium."

I breathed out, deeply relieved. Gwen apologised to the three of us, before disappearing up the steps and out of sight. I winced again, watching her go, before turning to Donna and Jack who were looking at each other carefully. He pulled her towards him and kissed her, making sure she knew that she was the only woman for him. Embarrassed, I started to move towards the stairs, but Dona grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Wait…" She ordered. "Jack, go and talk to Gwen. Make things alright between you."

When he'd gone, she turned to face me. I didn't know what to say. "Donna…"

"Don't." She said, her face splitting into a grin. To my astonishment she pulled me towards her into a tight hug. "I never believed you'd do that for a second."

"So, why…?" I was astonished.

"Got to keep him on his toes, haven't I?" She said with a smile. Then the smile faded slightly. "No… it wasn't that. I just… when I heard Gwen's message, it felt like I was dying. She said she thought Jack was having an affair. I doubted him. And that was terrifying. But then she said she though he was having an affair with you and I realised it couldn't be true."

"He wouldn't, Donna. Jack wouldn't."

"I know."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Wow… that was a heavy chapter! And it doesn't exactly put anyone in a good light. I'm actually quite horrified at myself because I love Jack, Donna and Gwen but now I'm a little annoyed at them! :P **_

_**Anyway, that kind of misunderstanding was bound to happen sooner or later with Jack and Evie acting like they do! :P**_


	85. Trickster 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Trickster**

Age: 23

Location: London, Earth

Date: October 2009

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie stood alone outside the grand building where the wedding was to be held. Sarah Jane had sent her an invitation, via Donna, and the young woman had thought it would be rude not to turn up. Besides, she could never resist a wedding.<strong>_

_**As she waited for the signal to go inside, Evie did her best to blend into the background, not wanting to make a fuss about her being there. It was Sarah Jane's day. Luke, however, spotted her and made his way over quickly, beaming.**_

* * *

><p>"No, really, I couldn't." I said quickly, shaking my head at Luke's request.<p>

"Evie, Mum would want you to sit with me. You're practically family, aren't you?" He urged, still smiling broadly.

"Not really." I muttered.

"Of course you are. You're the Doctor's daughter and he's practically Mum's only family, apart from me. So that makes us… cousins?" He continued. "I've never had a cousin."

I sighed and smiled, giving him a one armed hug. He seemed so taken with the idea that I couldn't argue. "Fine, fine. We're cousins… happy now?"

He laughed and beckoned his friends over. "Clyde, Rani, this is Evie. She's my cousin."

"Nice to meet you." I said truthfully, punching Luke lightly on the shoulder before holding out my hand to shake theirs.

"She's not really my cousin." He added in a low, conspiratorial voice. "She's the Doctor's daughter." I shot him a look and he shrugged. "It's fine, they know about everything… they've seen lots."

Rani opened her mouth to speak, but a woman interrupted her, looking me up and down interestedly. "Oh, hello. Who's this?"

"Mum!" The girl said, sounding slightly embarrassed. "This is Evie, Luke's cousin."

"Nice to meet you." I said politely, holding out my hand. "I love that colour you're wearing. It really suits you."

She looked surprised and shook my hand weakly, but then she smiled warmly. "I'm Gita, this is my husband Hiresh. Yes, I can see the resemblance. Is it on your Mum's side, or your Dads?"

"My Dad's." I told her, trying not to smirk at the woman's comment about a resemblance.

"So you're Evie Smith?" She asked.

I gave a small nod, not really wanting to commit to an answer. Luckily I was saved from anymore awkward questions by the registrar catching Luke's attention and signalling for him to get everyone inside.

"_Hello, everybody._" Luke said, catching the attention of everyone standing around. "_Welcome! It's… err… it's time, so if you'd like to go in._"

As they walked inside, I distinctly heard Gita hissing to her husband. "If she's Sarah's niece why isn't she a bridesmaid? And why have I never seen her before? I thought Sarah didn't have any family? But you can see it… they're all good-looking in that family. How old do you think she is? Sixteen… seventeen?"

Her husband shushed her and shot me an apologetic smile because it was obvious I had heard her questions. I smiled back, not the least bit bothered by the woman's curiosity.

"Sorry…" Rani muttered as I moved past her.

"Don't be, I've had far worse!" I assured her grinning.

Luke had obviously given Clyde instructions to make sure I sat in the front row with them, because he propelled me firmly into a seat with a smile and sat in the chair directly behind me. I had no choice, anyway, because now that everyone thought I was Sarah Jane's niece it would look odd if I sat anywhere else.

Everyone turned as Sarah Jane and Luke entered, with Rani following. I smiled, thinking how beautiful the woman looked in her simple white dress. Our eyes met and she beamed at me before her gaze settled on her future husband. I turned to look at him too, realising that I hadn't given him a second thought. All I knew about him was his name; Peter Dalton.

As they reached the altar and Sarah Jane took her future husband's hand, Rani sat beside me and Luke sat down next to her. Clyde raised the cloth on the table beside him, revealing a metal dog. I furrowed my eyebrows slightly.

"_K9, scan._" Clyde muttered. I gasped slightly, the name of the dog stirring some information in my mind.

"_All normal, Master Clyde._" K9 told him.

As he replaced the cloth, the boy exhaled deeply. "_Yeah, so far…_"

"_You brought the dog?_" Luke demanded accusingly, leaning backwards to glare at him.

"_Well what did you think was under there? The wedding cake? There's something wrong about this._"

Evie narrowed her eyes, wondering what he meant, but there was no time for her to dwell on it too much, as the ceremony started. She did, however, keep the thought in her mind as she listened.

"_Good afternoon, everyone, I'm the superintendent registrar._" A grey-haired woman behind the table acting as an altar said. "_We are here today to witness the marriage of Sarah Jane Smith and Peter Anthony Dalton. In each other's company they have found happiness, fulfilment and love and they wish to affirm their relationship with this marriage._"

As she spoke, a strange feeling came over me and I glanced around uneasily. Something wasn't right, Clyde had been right. I could hear something, if I listened closely enough. No one else apparently noticed the slight wheezing sound that seemed to be coming from all around us.

Leaning back in my chair so that Clyde could hear me, I hissed, "Can you hear that?"

"No? What?"

I just shook my head, not wanting to cause a scene. Rani glanced at me, her eyebrows slightly furrowed in puzzlement as she took in the expression on my face. I smiled weakly and shook my head, returning my gaze to the couple in front of us. My ears, however, were straining to hear the sound.

"_Now, I have to ask this question._" The registrar continued seriously. The sound was getting louder and clearer. Recognising it, I sat up straighter in my chair and looked over my shoulder. "_If any person can show just cause or impediment why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace._"

The noise was so loud now that I was bewildered by the fact that no one else seemed to have noticed it. I glanced at Rani and Luke, but their attention was still fully focused on the front of the room.

Then the doors flew open and the Doctor burst dramatically through them. "_Stop this wedding now!_"

Everyone heard that and turned to face him in shock. A surprised murmur filled the room as everyone began chatting at once, wondering who this strange man stopping the wedding could possibly be.

Luke turned to look at me and I flickered my eyes to him, making a 'shh' noise and shaking my head slightly. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, but couldn't keep his gaze away from the scene any longer.

"_What?_" Sarah Jane demanded, looking as though she'd seen a ghost.

"_What's going on?_" Gita asked loudly, glancing from the Doctor to Sarah Jane to her daughter and back again.

"_Who the hell is that?_" Her husband asked in a quieter voice.

"_I don't believe it…_" Luke muttered, glancing at me once more. I glared at him and looked back at the Doctor.

Rani turned to look at me as Luke had done. "_Who's he?_"

"_Master!_" K9 announced happily, appearing from underneath the table.

"_I said stop this wedding!_" The Doctor repeated, firmly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hello my darlings! This is probably my last update before I start placement on Monday. I'll almost definitely be too stressed and freaking out far too much to update tomorrow!<strong>_

_**I'll do my very best to update as often as possible and it might be OK for a while because I've got some chapters stored up ready. I'll probably start the next long fic, **_Alternatives_**, sometime next week and it'll be a case of either updating that or updating the Diary. But there will be new chapters on each. I promise!**_

_**Anyway, thanks so much for understanding, sweeties! **_

_**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and the ones to come, and thank you all so much for reading and reviewing, etc. I really do appreciate it!**_

_**xxx**_


	86. Trickster 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Trickster**

No sooner had the words left his mouth than an incredibly violent wind whipped through the room. There was no reason for it, none of the windows were open and there had been no breeze before.

"_Alert! Alert!_" K9 warned. "_Danger, Mistress!_"

"_SARAH! Get away from him!_" The Doctor ordered, reaching out to Sarah Jane who looked bewildered.

Trying to do as he commanded, the woman glanced at her fiancé who was gripping her arms tightly. "_No! Peter…_"

"_Don't be afraid, Sarah Jane._" He told her smoothly as she tried to break free of his grip. "_It's the Angel!_"

I glanced at him in confusion, wondering what he meant, before whirling around as a creature materialised in the corner of the room. It was something I had never encountered before, a faceless creature swathed in white robes. The very sight of it made me shiver in revulsion.

"_The Trickster!_" Rani breathed, fear infiltrating her tone.

"_Mum!_" Luke shouted. "_Mum!_"

"_Sarah!_ _Trickster, let her go!_" The Doctor ordered with the usual tone of authority he saved for addressing troublesome aliens.

The Trickster, however, had no intention of doing as he was ordered. "_Too late, Time Lord!_" He moved to stand beside Sarah Jane, his gloating voice ringing clearly through the room. "_You are mine, Sarah Jane Smith! Mine… forever!_"

"_SARAH!_"

"_DOCTOR!_"

They reached out to each other, but there was nothing they could do. Sarah Jane, Peter and the Trickster all vanished in a swirl of smoke. Everyone stared in horror at the spot where they had been standing as the Doctor rushed forwards.

"_Sarah… no!_"

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the wind returned, along with an alarming shaking sensation. Luke, Rani, Clyde and I looked at each other in horror as waves of energy seemed to pulse throughout the room. Rani gave an anguished cry as the guests vanished from sight.

"_Mum! Dad!_"

The Doctor glanced at us, the only other four people left in the room, a look of shock and horror on his face. Then he dived to the ground, clinging onto the table tightly. "_Hold on! Everyone, hold on!_"

We did as he ordered, hiding our faces as a blinding white light engulfed us. For a few moments I could see and hear nothing, feeling the force of whatever was going on buffeting us around. I gripped my chair firmly, burying my head in my arms until the movement finally stopped.

The next thing I knew I was sprawled on the ground. Blinking, I sat up quickly, wishing I hadn't as my head span and I had to lie down again and try sitting up more slowly. This seemed to work and I scrambled to my feet, smoothing down the silky material of my dress. Rani was lying beside me and Clyde was a little way off. The Doctor was crouched over Luke, trying to bring him round.

"Rani? Rani, sweetie? Can you hear me?" I muttered, tapping her face gently. She blinked several times before opening her eyes properly and staring at me. I grinned. "You alright?"

She nodded, sitting up unsteadily and I moved away to wake up Clyde. He was already moving as I approached, so I simply helped him up and turned to face the Doctor.

"_Who are you?_" Clyde demanded, staring wide-eyed at the Doctor.

"_Hello, Clyde!_" The Doctor beamed, standing up and moving over to shake his hand. "_And that will be Rani!_"

"_What?_" Clyde muttered, glancing between Luke and I, wondering what was going on. "_How d'you know my name?_"

As the Doctor crawled around on the floor, Rani pointed at him, working things out in her head. "_Wait a minute… you must be… it's you, isn't it?_"

"_That's me!_" He agreed.

"_The Doctor!_"

"_That's him._" Luke agreed with a nod.

"_I hope you're as good as Sarah Jane says you are._" Clyde told him, almost as a challenge.

"_Well, you know journalists, always exaggerating._" He said with a grin. "_But, yeah. I'm pretty amazing on a good day._"

I smirked. "Oh, he is."

The Doctor glanced over, staring at me with furrowed eyebrows as though he'd only just noticed my presence. He removed his glasses for a moment. "It's you!"

"Evie Jones, hello, Doctor." I said with a grin.

"What are– What are you doing here?" He demanded as Luke, Rani and Clyde all stared between us in confusion.

"Oh, you know… love a wedding." I told him with a shrug. "Now… what's going on?"

"_Master, query._" K9 said, moving forwards from under the table. I'd completely forgotten he was there. "_Where is Mistress Sarah Jane?_"

"_K9! Did you miss me? Did you miss me, eh?_" He asked cheerfully, patting the robot dog.

"_Repeat… Whereabouts of Sarah Jane? Where is she?_"

The teenagers exchanged a look and I shrugged. I moved over to the window to look out, shocked to see that there was nothing out there. The three of them followed, gasping as they took in the expanse of whiteness that surrounded the building.

"_Where are we?_" Clyde asked.

"_There's been a dimensional shift._" The Doctor explained calmly, moving towards us. "_Time's moved on… but us and this entire building have been left behind._"

"Why?" I asked, turning to look at him. He stared back, saying nothing.

"_There's nothing out there._" Rani pointed out needlessly.

"_I said, all along, I knew there was something wrong about all of this._" Clyde told them.

The Doctor had moved away, striding down the aisle in the direction of the door. I turned and followed, but Luke grabbed my arm.

"Why is he acting like he doesn't know you?" He demanded. "You're his daughter."

I nodded, smiling weakly. "Yes, but he doesn't know that yet. He's only seen me a couple of times… It's hard to explain. I promise I'll tell you later." I told him, intending to escape before he remembered.

"_What exactly is going on?_" Clyde demanded of the Doctor, not listening to our whispered conversion.

"_I'll explain later._" The Doctor told him, not turning around.

He started examining the window as the teenagers all began to speak at once. I blinked at the sudden cacophony of noise that assaulted my ears. Apparently not keen on the sound levels either, he pulled out a football rattle, waving it around until Luke, Rani and Clyde went silent. I couldn't help snorting with laughter; he looked so ridiculous.

"_Shh!_" He ordered, glaring at the three of them. "_Here's the answer to all your questions. Yes, that was the Trickster. Yes, we're trapped. Yes, I'm the only one who can get us out of the trap. Yes, I'm gonna bring Sarah Jane and your Mum and Dad and all the others back safe. But I can't do any of it without you._"

"_You… you need us?_" Clyde asked as the Doctor pointed his football rattle at us.

"_Just like Sarah Jane needs you._" He agreed softly.

Rani, however, wasn't finished. "_My Mum and Dad… where are they?_"

"_Just go along with him, Rani, I saw him save the world._" Luke told her.

"_You helped me save the world, Lukey boy!_" The Doctor said cheerfully, patting his cheeks, before turning grudgingly to me. "So did you, Miss Jones." Then he grinned. "_Right! Come on, we can use the TARDIS. I assume everyone knows what the TARDIS is? Unless you've really not been paying attention? And!_" He turned and ran from the room, leaving us to follow him. "_Allons-y!_"


	87. Trickster 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Trickster**

"What?" I demanded. We had just discovered that the TARDIS was not where the Doctor had left it.

"_It was right there!_" He shouted, unable to believe what he was seeing. Or not seeing, as the case may be. Suddenly he moved backwards, his arms outstretched. "_Wait, wait, wait!_"

The TARDIS began to materialise in the hotel lobby, flashing in and out of sight with the familiar wheezing sound. Except it wasn't the familiar sound of the TARDIS. It sounded as though it was struggling, the wheezing noise more pronounced than usual.

"Is she alright?" I asked, concerned for the time machine.

"_That noise… I've heard it before._" Rani said slowly, staring at the police box.

"_That was me; trying to break through._" The Doctor told her, never moving his gaze from his ship. "_I got knocked back by the Trickster._"

"_Temporal schism is preventing TARDIS materialisation._" K9 informed them helpfully.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "How is that possible? The temporal schism must be incredibly powerful to stop the TARDIS."

The Doctor nodded. "Oh yeah!"

"_Wait a minute… That's the TARDIS? It's just a wooden box._" Clyde asked, sounding unimpressed. I glared at him, offended on her behalf.

"_Come on!_" The Doctor murmured, pleading with his ship. "_You can do it. More power! Come on!_" Then the sound stopped altogether and the TARDIS vanished. The Doctor sighed and pushed his hands into his trouser pockets. "_OK… got no TARDIS. It can't materialise here until time moves forward._"

"_What? So we're trapped here… wherever this is?_"

The Doctor smiled at Rani. "_No! Because what have I got? I've got K9!_"

"_Affirmative._" The metal dog agreed.

"_And I've got you three._" He continued. Correcting himself as his eyes met mine. I arched an eyebrow. "Four… I've got you four._ And any friend of Sarah Jane Smith is a friend of mine._"

"_But… where is this?_" Clyde asked slowly. "_What's happened to the rest of the world?_"

"_Our present location…_" K9 said. "_Nowhere, no-when._"

"_No-when?_"

"_Look at the clocks…_" The Doctor muttered moving forward slowly.

"_Time's stopped._" Luke muttered.

"_What… you're joking?_"

I shook my head. "No… not stopped… look." The second hand was moving forwards a second before skipping backwards and repeating the same second over again.

"_This second's on a loop…_" Luke agreed, moving forwards and staring at the small television on the desk. It was showing horse-racing; the horses repeating the same jump over and over again. "_23 seconds and 23 minutes past three o'clock._"

"_And we're caught inside it… in this one second._" The Doctor told them.

"_But… again, where is Sarah Jane?_"

The Doctor sighed and glanced around. "_I think she's right here._"

I shivered, glancing around the lobby and feeling myself going cold. Moving to the window I glanced out again, the whiteness outside setting my nerves on edge. I had to move away again quickly to stop the uneasy lurching of my stomach.

Instead I hovered in the doorway of the room we'd just left. There was a strange tang in the air; almost like some kind of metal oxide. I sniffed, trying to work out what could have caused the phenomena.

"What?" The Doctor asked, coming up behind me and peering through the door. I jumped slightly at his proximity.

"That smell…"

He looked slightly surprised that I'd noticed it, but smiled. "Yeah… that's the temporal schism. Causes a residue to be activated in the atmosphere and gives off that magnetic smell."

I nodded, opening my mouth to ask more about it, but was cut off by Rani. "_So, we've been kept behind in this second?_"

"_Affirmative, Mistress Rani._"

"_But the rest of the world, Mum and Dad and everyone else, they've moved on from here… going forwards in time? Why has the Trickster trapped us here?_"

"_Oh, come on Rani!_" The Doctor said, moving forwards. "_You know the answer to that!_"

"_We're Sarah Jane's friends, all of us, her best friends._" The girl said. I raised my eyebrow a little, not sure I had any right to be included in that statement.

"_Yeah. Which means?_"

"_Hostages!_" Rani said excitedly, working it out as the Doctor leapt up the grand staircase. "_He can use us to get at her!_"

"_We've met the Trickster before, but we've never found out who he is._" Clyde pointed out, glancing at his friends.

"The Trickster comes from far beyond our universe." I told him, before the Doctor could open his mouth. "He just won't give up trying to break into our reality. He's part of a group of creatures called the Pantheon of Discord."

"_That's a good name for a band._" Clyde said, grinning.

"_Yeah, actually, not bad!_" The Doctor agreed, continuing my explanation. "_He's an eternal exile, who exists to wreak havoc… but we can fight him! The five of us!_"

"Six, including K9." Luke pointed out.

"Yes, quite!" The Doctor agreed as a beeping started. "_And we can win! OOH! Ha! That's it, a time trace!_" He pulled out his sonic screwdriver and stared at it closely, slowly following the beeping across the lobby. "_Just a hint of Sarah Jane. Ooh! She's close!_"

We followed the Doctor as he neared the door back into the main room. He stopped beside the reception desk, staring at the readings his device was taking. Then he gave a loud shout and rushed backwards, upturning the sofa in the corner and climbing on it, holding the sonic screwdriver to his ear.

"What ARE you doing?" I demanded.

"Listening." He said, as though it was a stupid question. I rolled my eyes and leant against the reception desk, looking around.

Rani shivered. "_What was that? Felt like someone just walked over my grave._"

I moved quickly, standing beside her and sniffing slightly. The same metallic scent met my nostrils and I gazed at the Doctor, nodding quickly. He leapt off the sofa and rushed towards us.

"_Oh, oh, oh! She's here. She's here!_" He exclaimed. "_Sarah!_"

"_Sarah Jane._" Rani told him quietly. "_She doesn't like being called Sarah._"

I snorted and smirked as the Doctor glanced at the teenage girl with and affronted expression on his face. "_She does by me._" There was a pause as the readings grew stronger. "_K9?_"

"_Scanning, Master._"

As they approached the front doors, they all heard Sarah Jane's anguished shout. "_Doctor!_"

"_Mum!_" Luke shouted back, trying to push past the Doctor.

"_That was her!_"

"_K9, isolate the time trace._" The Doctor ordered.

"_Affirmative, Master._"

"_K9?_"

"_Temporal schism divided in two, Master._" K9 said quickly as the Doctor patted his head.

"Oh…" I muttered, realising what the Trickster must have done.

The Doctor was on the same wavelength. "_Yes… of course. We're trapped here in 3:23:23 and Sarah Jane's trapped too… just in another second._"

"_Hold on._" Clyde said seriously. "_You said you'd explain later. Well it's later. Please explain!_"

"_The Trickster doesn't want us helping Sarah, so he's separated us; trapped us in two different seconds._" The Doctor told them, still crouching on the floor beside K9.

"I think…" I started hesitantly. "That she's a second later… 3:23:24."

"Why?" The Doctor asked interestedly.

"I don't know… I just… It's just a feeling. But it doesn't matter anyway, right? We're still separated."

"Could matter… maybe not." He agreed, shrugging.

"_Doctor!_" We heard Sarah Jane's voice again, this time from above us.

The Doctor stood up, staring at the ceiling. "_Oooh… Oooh! She's upstairs. Come on, Luke, K9, watch for the TARDIS. You see it coming back, shout the place down!_"

"_Orders accepted, Master._"

"_You three with me, spit-spot!_" He continued, pointing at Rani, Clyde and me.

We sprinted up the stairs and along the corridor. The Doctor threw open and door and we all dived through it, coming to an abrupt halt as we realised it was the same room as before. My mouth dropped open as I looked around; taking in the white walls with their ornate gold detailing and the rows of chairs set out for the wedding ceremony.

"_Hang on, though… this is mad!_" Rani said, looking around in shock. "_The Trickster… he's this all-powerful immortal, he wants to cause chaos throughout the stars… and he wants Sarah Jane to get married! What does he get out of that?_"

I paused, then I gasped. "Thing about it, Rani… Sarah Jane gets married and has less time for what she does best… preventing alien invasions and things going all… weird. She'll have a 'normal' life. No more Mr Smith… no more saving the world. That's exactly what the Trickster wants."

Rani and Clyde stared at me in horror. The Doctor was quiet for a moment, staring around almost as though he hadn't been listening. As I glanced at him and our eyes met, I knew this was not the case. He had been thinking about what I'd said, evidently coming to the same conclusion.


	88. Trickster 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Trickster**

"_She's here._" He muttered after a while, moving away and pulling out the sonic screwdriver once more. "_If I can narrow the link ratio…_"

"_Doctor!_" An unfamiliar rasping voice cried behind us.

We spun round and came face to face with the Trickster, now swathed in black robes instead of white. I took an uncertain step towards him, but the Doctor put a hand on my arm, holding me back. We both flinched slightly as a jolt of energy passed between us at the contact, but I resolutely avoided his eye. Apparently being in the wrong place at the wrong time and messing with our timelines was starting to have consequences.

"_Ahh! You look better in black. Or is white the new black?_" He asked the Trickster, babbling as he often did in such situations.

"_At last, Doctor!_" The creature rasped, ignoring his words. The Doctor moved forwards, holding out his arms to indicate we should stay back. "_I could feel this moment reverberating back through the ages; the meeting of the Pantheon of Discord and the last of the Time Lords._" I bit my tongue at the Tricksters words, resolutely not looking at Rani and Clyde who had glanced at me.

"_I've known the legends of the Pantheon since I was a little boy. I've fought your shadows and your changelings, I never thought we'd actually meet._"

"_And I know the legends of the Doctor._" The Trickster said. "_The man of ice and fire… who walked among gods… who once held the key to time in his hands. Now he is surrounded by children._" The creature began to laugh, then his eye fell on me, standing beside the others. He raised and arm and pointed. "But… you…"

"_They're my friends._" The Doctor cut him off, much to my relief. "_Which reminds me, you're looking a bit lonely for a Pantheon._"

"_I embody multitudes. And who are you, the man who has lost everybody, to talk to me of loneliness, when the Gate is waiting for you?_" He hissed. I felt my face flushing with anger and took a step forwards. Rani caught my arm, pulling me back and shaking her head.

"_What do you mean?_"

The Trickster laughed nastily. "_Sarah Jane Smith is my prize. Even you, Doctor, didn't realise how wonderful she is._"

"_What do you want with her?_" The Doctor snapped, losing his patience.

"_What I always want, from any of those I visit. Her agreement. Goodbye Doctor._"

With that, the Trickster vanished, leaving the four of us staring at the space where he had just been standing. Rani, Clyde and I stayed still and silent, waiting for the Doctor to speak.

"_Her agreement?_" He murmured, thinking hard. "_The power of words… she says 'I do' and… yes!_" He turned round, shouting now. "_That's it!_"

"_That's what?_"

"_She promises to love and honour her husband, the wedding ring goes on and then she's agreed to it, she's under the Trickster's power!_ You were right, Evie… well, very nearly. It's not so much she won't have TIME for everything… she just won't be able to do it!" He explained. "_Marital bliss, but she forgets all about this. She starts living a new life._"

"_Forgetting about her old life!_" Rani added, panic evident in her tone. "_Protecting the Earth._"

"_And the Planet's wide open, so aliens can just barge in!_" Clyde agreed. "Like Evie said, no more saving the world!"

The Doctor nodded. "_Without Sarah… without you lot saving the world from your attic in Ealing… there'll be chaos and destruction… meat and drink to the Trickster._"

"_As if she's gonna say yes._" Clyde muttered.

"_But she will, won't she?_" The Time Lord reasoned. "_Because we're here._"

"The Trickster will have made sure she's well aware of that fact." I assured them, biting my thumbnail agitatedly.

"_TARDIS! Beautiful, yes!_" The Doctor shouted as the familiar wheezing accompanied the sight of the blue police box materialising in the room. "_It's homing in on me! Emergency programme protecting the pilot! Of course! Partial materialisation…_"

"That extra boost it needed to get through…" I muttered to Rani who glanced at me as I pointed to myself and bobbed in a miniature curtsey. "Thank you very much!"

She grinned as Luke came skidding into the room, no doubt alerted by the sound. "_What's happening?_"

"_Look!_" The Doctor exclaimed, throwing his arms round Luke and Rani, who were next to him, as blue electricity sparked and crackled around the TARDIS. "_That's pure artron energy! TARDIS power! Equal and opposite to the Trickster's power… that's how we can fight him!_"

He rushed to the police box, unlocking the door before beckoning us to follow. We tried, but the energy was too much for us to fight against. Something was holding us back. I had no doubt that that something was the Trickster.

"_Come on, all of you, get in!_" He ordered from inside. We tried our best, but it was hopeless. "_Come on, now!_"

We created a chain, holding hands and forcing ourselves towards the TARDIS; Clyde, then me, then Rani, then Luke. Clyde managed to grab the Doctor's hand, clinging on as best he could. It wasn't enough. The Doctor's hand was ripped from his grasp, the TARDIS doors slamming shut. The boy fell face first into them and was immediately dosed with artron energy, before being flung backwards as the TARDIS dematerialised.

Rani pulled Clyde to his feet as the last sounds of the time machine faded away. We stared at the spot where it had stood a minute ago, a ball of blue-white light shrinking and vanishing to nothing.

"_It's just us, then?_" Rani asked, sighing and glancing around.

"_You alright?_" Luke asked Clyde.

He nodded. "_Yeah… I think… he'll come back for us, won't he?_"

"Of course he will." I told them without hesitation. "Clyde…" I looked at his eyes, making sure his pupils were functioning normally before feeling for his pulse. It was a bit faster than usual – well, a lot faster than usual – but I put it down to adrenaline. "You'll be fine."

"_What… if he can't?_" Rani asked, still thinking about the Doctor.

"_He will._" Luke told her firmly. "_I'll wait here for him. You check with K9._"

I stood with Luke as the other two raced from the room. Glancing sideways at him I raised an eyebrow. "Clyde absorbed artron energy."

"What does that mean?" Luke asked quickly. "The Doctor said we could use it to fight the Trickster."

"Exactly. If Clyde can harness it… well… he could take the Trickster down single-handed. Literally."

"We should tell him."

I nodded. "Wait here, I'll go."

Running from the room, I found myself in the lobby. Clyde was moving towards the door, crackling blue energy in his palm. Apparently he'd worked out how to harness the artron energy on his own. I grinned.

"_Please!_" Rani was begging. "_Don't do this!_"

She stood in the doorway, blocking his path. I moved quickly, pulling her aside as Clyde lunged past her through and pulled open the outer doors to reveal the blinding whiteness outside. She stared at me as though I'd betrayed her, but I shook my head.

"He can do it, Rani. Trust him."

She looked at me as Clyde shouted into the distance. "_Trickster!_"

The creature appeared from nowhere, a little way off. Rani grasped my arm at the sight of him and all three of us recoiled slightly.

"_Clyde Langer… Why do you call me?_"

"_I wish to serve you._" The boy said, making Rani gasp. I squeezed her hand, reassuring her that he knew what he was doing. "_I wish to join the Pantheon._"

"_Clyde no!_" The girl beside me shouted before I could stop her. It was all I could do to cling onto her and stop her dragging him back inside.

He took a step forwards and the doors slammed shut. Rani banged on them, trying to shove them open, but I knew it was no good. I grabbed her arms, holding her wrists together and forcing her to look at me.

"He'll be fine." I promised her. "Absolutely fine. In fact, he's probably managed to get back to Sarah Jane already. Trust me, Rani!"

She hesitated and then nodded. I gave her a quick hug before dragging her back through the lobby and into the room where Luke was still waiting. We stood together, willing the TARDIS to materialise.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Hello sweeties!<strong>_

_**Just a quick message to say thank you so much for reading and reviewing. I'm so grateful - especially while I'm so stressed and tired on placement!**_

_**I've just uploaded the first chapter of the latest long fic - **Alternatives **- and I hope you like it. **_

_**At this moment in time I only have 3 more chapters of the Diary ready to upload and have no idea when I'll have time to write more. So when those chapters have been put up I'll have to put the Diary on hold for a while, until I have time to write more - and there will be more, don't worry!**_

_**Thank you guys for bearing with me while I'm so busy! It really does mean a lot! :)**_

_**Bex xxx**_


	89. Trickster 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Trickster**

But there was no need for the three of us to wait for the Doctor to return in the TARDIS. A strange feeling washed over us, a sort of dizzy, cold feeling, and suddenly we were in the lobby, standing beside the blue police box. The doors opened and the Doctor appeared. He took one look at us, glanced around and sprinted across the room, throwing open the double doors in front of him. We followed immediately, spotting Sarah Jane and Clyde at once.

"_Mum!_" Luke shouted, rushing to her.

"_Luke!_"

Rani dropped down beside Clyde, glancing at me accusingly. I knelt down, feeling for his pulse. It was slow, but getting stronger with every beat. I smiled at her and relief washed over her face. She grinned back, grabbing my hand and squeezing it, just as Clyde opened his eyes.

"_Doctor!_" Sarah Jane sobbed. "_Oh, Doctor._"

He gathered her up in his arms. "_My Sarah Jane. You did it… the trap's broken, time's moving forwards again. We're going home._"

"_Hold on!_" Luke exclaimed as a rumbling engulfed us.

We grouped together, holding on tightly to the person next to us. "_We're all going home._"

"_If anyone can show any just cause or impediment why they may not be joined together, let them speak now or forever hold their peace._" The registrar said, just as she had done earlier.

This time, however, the doors didn't fly open and the Doctor didn't appear in the room. Instead, Sarah Jane was standing alone at the altar, her shoulder shaking as she silently sobbed.

"_Where's he gone?_" Rani's Mum whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear. "_Sarah's bloke, where's he gone?_"

"_He was just there…_" Her husband muttered, confused.

"_Where's the Doctor gone?_" Luke muttered.

Rani blinked. "_That all really happened, didn't it?_"

"_Yeah…_" Clyde muttered, glancing at his hand.

"_Affirmative!_" K9 agreed from under the table.

I cleared my throat quietly. "Guys… that's not really important right now… Luke, your Mum."

Taking the hint, he stood up and moved to her side, putting an arm around her waist. She turned, tears filling her eyes and addressed the congregation in a shaky voice. "_I'm sorry, everybody. I'm afraid the wedding is cancelled._"

Dropping her bouquet on the floor, she walked quickly down the aisle with her head held high. I widened my eyes at Luke, who was just standing and watching her, and he leapt into action, following her out of the room. I stood up and followed too, closing the doors carefully behind us.

In the lobby stood the Doctor.

He hugged Sarah Jane tightly, not saying a word. They stayed like that for a moment, before he led her into the TARDIS. Luke and I followed and the Doctor sent his ship into the Vortex, materialising once more on the corner of Bannerman Road.

Nodding to each of us, the Doctor left Sarah Jane in mine and Luke's care, retreating inside his time machine. We got her inside and I went to make her a cup of tea. When I returned, she was sitting on the sofa staring blankly ahead of her. Luke was looking terrified, clearly having no idea what to do.

"Here…" I pushed the mug into her hands and she blinked, looking up at me.

"Evie… What about the guests… K9?"

"Don't worry, Rani will deal with the guests and Clyde will make sure K9 gets home safely. Don't you worry about that." I promised. "Luke, go and run the bath. That's just what you need, alright? A cuppa and a long, hot soak."

She smiled weakly at me, the expression not making it to her eyes. "Thank you."

"It's nothing." I assured her, perching beside her on the sofa and giving her a one-armed hug. "What's family for?"

"Will you stay… to… I…" Sarah Jane started, looking at me and then trailing off.

I nodded. "Of course. I'll stay for as long as you want me to."

"It's just… Luke…"

"He'll be worried about you, but won't know what to say?" I guessed where she was going with her thoughts and smiled, hugging her tightly again. "I promise I'll stay as long as you need me to."

After a long time, Sarah Jane sighed. "I think I'm going to get changed."

I nodded and watched her leave the living room, clutching her mug in her hands. Keeping myself busy, I kicked off my stilettos and padded into the kitchen and turned the radio on for company; pottering around and seeing what was in the fridge. It was nearly dinner time and Sarah Jane needed to eat something; whether she wanted to or not.

I heard the front door open and turned the music down so that I could hear who was coming in. There was no need, however, as Luke's face appeared around the kitchen door; pained and apprehensive. When he realised I was alone, his face dropped even more.

"Where's Mum?"

"She went to get changed." I told him calmly. "But I think she's in the attic now."

"How d'you know?" Clyde asked, looking suspiciously at me.

I shrugged. "Just a guess; she's been longer than if she was getting changed and coming back down and she pretty much cried herself out on my shoulder."

Luke turned and began heading up the stairs in search of his mother. The three of us followed him. We'd barely climbed four steps when Rani turn to look at me questioningly.

"Luke said that you were the Doctor's daughter, but he acted like he barely knew you."

"Yeah… it's complicated. As far as the Doctor's concerned at this point in his timeline he's only met me two… three… maybe four times? It's hard to keep track and, to be perfectly honest, the older I get the more I mess the timelines up by going back too far or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. The problem is, I was born in the future. The Doctor's future. Your future. My past." Rani and Clyde were staring at me as though I was crazy. Luke, however, seemed to be making sense of things. "See… complicated."

"So… you change history?"

"Re-write it." I agreed with a shrug. "Sometimes for the better. Sometimes…" My face clouded slightly and a lump formed in my throat as I remembered not so good moments. "Sometimes not."

"So… you're not human?" Clyde asked eagerly.

I laughed softly. "Not completely. I'm part Gallifreyan, part human and a lot… well… whatever Mum is! She was conceived on board the TARDIS in the Vortex. That gave her special… qualities. Gran once referred to it as a 'time head'. Although I don't think that makes her Gallifreyan or a Time Lady or anything. Then again…"

By this time we'd reached the door to the attic. Luke glanced back at us and I smiled, nodding encouragingly. He took a deep breath and turned the handle, walking slowly into the room. I let Clyde and Rani go before me, holding back.

"_Mum…_" He walked towards her, followed by his friends. "_You alright?_"

"_I'm gonna be fine. I've got you, haven't I?_" She assured them firmly, shooting me a small smile over their heads. "And Evie's going to stay…"

Luke smiled at me gratefully. "_I can't believe the Doctor ran off like that._"

"_Sudden disappearing acts… that's him all over._" Sarah Jane said sadly. I looked down, disagreeing with her words. I didn't really understand why he'd left the way he had.

"_Sarah Jane… escalation of temporal flux._" The large computer behind her said, taking readings of the immediate atmosphere.

At once K9 joined in the assessment, as though he did not want to be outdone. "_Temporal flux escalating._"

Around us came a familiar noise and the TARDIS began to materialise. I smiled, relieved that my gut feeling in my father had been right; he wouldn't leave things as they were. The Doctor just couldn't leave things alone. He always had to help.

"_Doctor…_" Sarah Jane murmured, delightedly.

"_What d'you take me for, Sarah? Just thought I'd go the quick way._ Couldn't leave the old girl sitting outside on the pavement, could I?" He looked around interestedly. "_Oooh! I like it in here!_"

"_Can we have a look?_" Rani asked, looking past him into the blue box.

The Doctor's expression changed rapidly. "_What, in the TARDIS? MY TARDIS?_" They all looked slightly alarmed by the volume and tone of his voice. Then the Doctor grinned. "_Course you can, yeah!_"

"I'll just go and…" I started, motioning towards the attic door as they filed into the police box excitedly. I could sense this was a moment that they needed on their own; the excitement of seeing inside the Doctor's ship for the first time, as well as the fact the Sarah Jane and the Doctor needed to say their goodbyes. "… kitchen."

"Wait, Evie!" The Doctor called, pulling the TARDIS door closed and moving quickly towards me. I stopped with my hand on the door handle, looking back at him warily. "Who are you?"

I smiled weakly. "You will find out." I promised. "But… when you meet me properly you'll have to pretend that you've never met me before. It's vital."

"What…" He fumbled in his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a scrap of paper. Tiny green stars decorated it and written on it in bright pink ink were a set of coordinates and a scribbled note in writing that I recognised as my own. "When I meet you here?"

I took the paper and glanced at it quickly. Then I nodded. "Yeah… when did I give you this?"

"At the Library."

"Right…" I had no idea what or where the Library was. Apparently one day I would find out and give him that note.

"You have to pretend you don't know who I am. Otherwise things will get complicated." He read slowly from the note, looking at her intently. "What does that mean?"

"I can't tell you. I'm very sorry and I know you won't want to, but you're going to have to trust me on this one, Doctor. My life depends on it."


	90. Attitude

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Attitude**

_**A/N: Another River's perspective chapter, which started off being written from a prompt from NaviRebel16; '**_baby Evie! Like learning to walk and stuff. So cute!_**' **_

_**But then it kinda changed a bit and ended up not following the prompt at all. I might write another chapter that actually DOES follow the prompt better at some point. **_

_**Here it is, anyway! Hope you enjoy!**_

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><p><span>Age<span>: 18 months

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: 2034

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><p>We always knew Evie was going to be advanced for her age. And she was. By eight months she was walking completely unaided. And now, at just eighteen months old she was making conversation at the kitchen table with Mum and Dad.<p>

I'd read all the pregnancy and early childhood books I could get my hands on. The general consensus in the books I'd read seemed to be that most children were able to walk, unsteadily, on their own at thirteen months and were able to hold sustained conversations by the time they were three. Evie was far ahead of these targets.

"You're going to have trouble with this one, River." Mum laughed, pulling a face at Evie, who raised an eyebrow at her and sighed.

"Mummy… Can I go and play now? This is boring." Evie asked, turning in her chair to blink up at me. She looked so tiny.

"Of course, sweetie." I agreed and she slid to the floor. "If you say the magic words."

Evie rolled her eyes, much to my parents' amusement. "I love you lots, Mummy."

"Good girl, off you go."

She wandered away in the direction of Mum and Dad's living room where most of her toys were. I watched her, shaking my head fondly, as she went.

"Right little chatterbox, isn't she?" Dad smiled, moving to put the kettle on.

"I wonder where she gets that from." Mum joked, starting to flick through the magazine on the table in front of her. "What are you going to do about school, by the way? Surely you need to start thinking about that?"

I shrugged. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious, sweetie?" Mum asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Not really." I said, sitting at the table and accepting the tea Dad offered me.

"Well she has to go to school, River. And it's not as if you can just enrol her in the local primary. Does Stormcage have… well… educational facilities?"

Snorting with amusement I shook my head. "Of course not. It's a prison. Evie's a one-off."

"So… she could live with us during term time and go back to Stormcage in the holidays?" Dad suggested, thinking logically. "She can go to the primary school we went to. It's just down the road and it's very good."

"No." I argued, shaking my head. "The Doctor and I can teach her between us. Everything she needs to know she can learn without going to school. She's far too advanced for normal schools anyway… think about it."

"You went to normal schools, River, or don't you remember? And you were too advanced for them." Mum pointed out.

I did remember, all too clearly. I remembered wearing the bright red jumper that was part of the Ledworth Primary uniform. I remembered always being in trouble. I remembered little Amelia and Rory being my only friends. I remembered going to the High School when I was eleven. I remembered that I was still always in trouble. I remembered that everyone said I would come to no good. I remembered that Amy and Rory were still my only friends.

I shook my head. "Of course I remember. But look how that turned out."

"What d'you mean?"

"How many times did you have to bail me out, Mother?" I pointed out. "How many times did I end up in the Headmaster's office? How many times was I threatened with detention and suspension and expulsion? How many times WAS I put into detention or suspended? How many times did you have to bail me out of jail?"

"Evie will be different." Dad said softly, moving to stand behind me and rubbing my shoulders. "She's not you. She hasn't had the terrible past you had. She doesn't have anything to prove."

"Yeah, well, she's still not going." I told them firmly, glaring at the table top and signalling that the conversation was over. "Now, what are we having for dinner?"

As Mum and Dad exchanged a look that they didn't think I'd caught and began bustling around preparing the evening meal, I moved to the door and leant against the frame watching Evie sitting on the floor playing. She had a small plastic doll, generally referred to as Mrs Blondie, in one hand and a cuddly monkey in the other.

"Oh, River…" She said, putting on a silly voice and waving the monkey around in the air. "Don't be so silly. Of course I haven't left the brakes on, she's meant to make that noise!" I laughed, covering my mouth with my hands to stop myself before Evie heard. Now she was waving the doll around, talking in a squeaky voice. "Shut up, Doctor. You have left them on and she isn't supposed to sound like that, sweetie. She makes that noise because it hurts her. I hate you sometimes! No you don't, River Song. Yes I do!"

"River, sweetie, does Evie like–" Mum started before I shushed her quickly and flapped my hand at her. She peered around me just in time to see Evie mashing the doll and the monkey's faces together as though they were kissing.

Mum laughed. "I'm assuming the Doctor is being played by Mr Bananas?"

"Of course. The likeness is uncanny!" I agreed, grinning.

As we watched, Mr Bananas and Mrs Blondie were unceremoniously ripped apart and thrown violently at the sofa. Then Evie picked up a cardboard box that, with the help of her grandfather, she had turned into a model of the TARDIS and started moving it around in the air.

"Arghhhh!" She shouted. "We've hit a time rupture! Something's affecting the TARDIS's timey-wimey-ness! Hold on, girls, we're in for a bumpy ride!"

I laughed and so did Mum and Dad, who had joined as in the doorway watching Evie playing. At the sound, she stopped, lowering her arm slowly and turning to face us. With a frown on her face, she arched an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

"What?" She demanded.

"Nothing, sweetie!" I assured her with a bright smile. "We were just thinking how cute you look, that's all."

"I'm NOT cute!" She sighed in exasperation, making it very difficult not to laugh again.

"OK, OK!" Mum agreed. "You're not at all cute, which is a shame really, because I've got some ice cream in the freezer which is specially made for cute little girls."

There was a short pause, while Evie considered her words. "Maybe I am a LITTLE bit cute."

"That's alright then!" Mum said, putting on a relieved voice. "I wouldn't want you to miss out on special ice cream!"

Grinning, we retreated back into the kitchen, leaving Evie to resume her game in peace. For a couple of minutes, conversation moved to everyday things; what we were cooking, how Dad's job was going and the gossip Mum had learnt recently. Then Dad glanced up from the saucepan he was stirring carefully.

"Maybe you're right about Evie and school." He admitted with a grin. "I think she's a little bit too much like you. So much attitude in such a small person. I doubt any school would be able to handle her!"


	91. Interrogation

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Interrogation**

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><p><em><strong>AN: Hello lovelies! Just a quick note before I start to say that this chapter follows directly on from '**_Date Night_**' (which I THINK was chapter… 52?) and was written after a prompt from rockerchick511**_ _**who suggested, '**_a chapter with Evie, Donna and Tom? That would be quite funny._**' So here it is! :)**_

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><p><span>Age<span>: 15

Location: Chiswick, London, Earth

Date: January 2012

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><p><em><strong>Evie groaned. From behind her, Sylvia Noble's voice had cut through the moment she'd been sharing with Tom. Just when it seemed she'd finally got him to herself, something else had happened.<strong>_

_**Fixing a smile on her face she turned. "**__**Tom, this is my… Nan. Nan… this is Tom, my boyfriend."**_

_**They both stared at each other, Tom evidently trying to work out the connections and how she could possibly be Evie's Nan and Sylvia looking Tom up and down suspiciously. The atmosphere grew incredibly tense.**_

"_**Well… you'd better come and introduce him to us properly." Sylvia said after a few moments. Tom looked horrified.**_

"_**Actually, Nan, we were just going to the–" Evie started, but the woman wasn't taking no for an answer.**_

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><p>"Hi, Donna." I smiled weakly, giving the red-head a tight hug and breathing in her familiar scent. It was just enough to reassure me.<p>

"Evie!" She exclaimed, surprised. "I didn't expect to see you."

"It's rather a surprise to me, too." I admitted. Then I moved aside slightly so that Donna could see Tom, who was practically hiding behind me. "This is my boyfriend, Tom. Tom this is my Auntie Donna."

As soon as the introduction had been made I fled down the corridor to the kitchen where I could see Wilf pottering around. I felt guilty for leaving Tom with Donna and Sylvia, both of whom would no doubt be full of questions, but I couldn't stand another interrogation at the moment.

"Oh, Evie!" Wilf cried happily, hearing me approaching. "Fancy seeing you here, my girl!" I hugged him tightly, burying my head into his chest. As always he smelt of mints with the faintest undercurrent of cigarettes. "Hey, now, what's all this?"

"Hi, Gramps."

"What's wrong, girl?" He demanded, pulling away and holding me at arm's length so he could stare at me intently.

"Nan caught me in town with Tom and she made me bring him round for an interrogation. The poor guy has already faced Mum and Gran and Gramps and the Doctor tonight! Gramps even brought out his old Roman sword!"

Wilf chuckled and steered me into a chair at the table. "They finally found out then? How did that happen?"

"The Doctor walked into my room at the wrong moment." I admitted, putting my head on my arms and groaning. Wilf hooted with amusement. "It's not funny, Gramps! They properly interrogated him! He looked terrified! Then Mum and Gran had a go!"

"Poor boy. I still haven't met him, you know."

"Yeah, well… you better not say I told you about him before anyone else." I warned, glancing up.

"What? Me tell that mad lot that I knew about their precious Evie's first boyfriend before they did? Not blooming likely, girl!" He assured me with a gruff chuckle. "I'd rather like to enjoy what life I've got left! Donna and Sylvia would be bad enough, but your Mother? No, I'll keep that information to myself I think!"

I grinned and stood up, slowly. "Better go and face the music, I guess!"

"I'll make tea and bring it in. How does your young man take his?"

"I… I have no idea, Gramps!"

"Well, you better find out if you want to hang on to him!" Wilf told me with a wink. I giggled and headed through to the living room, taking a deep steadying breath before going inside.

"So, you're at school?" Donna was saying, staring intently at Tom who was perching on the edge of the sofa, looking nervously back at her.

"Er… yes… Mrs Noble."

"Miss Noble, actually. But… no, call me Donna." The red-head ordered, with a slight shudder. "So… GCSEs? What are you taking?"

"Donna, does it really matter?" I asked, sitting on the arm of the sofa next to Tom and putting my arm over his shoulders.

She shrugged, looking nonchalant. "It was just a question."

"It's fine. I'm doing the usual subjects; Maths, Science, English and I'm also doing PE, French, History and ICT." Tom said quickly. Donna looked impressed, as did Sylvia who was sitting back in her chair saying nothing.

"Then what are you planning on doing?" Donna demanded. I rolled my eyes as Wilf entered the room and he grinned at me, setting down the tray of mugs on the coffee table and starting to hand them out.

"I'm going to do A-Levels…" Tom said, still sounding incredibly nervous. I doubted whether the Doctor and Gramps had quizzed him on his academic intentions. "Hopefully Maths, Physics, English and French."

Again Donna looked impressed. Quickly she rearranged her features. "Then…"

"University… to do French."

"Great. Now you know his future plans, can we talk about something else?" I demanded, arching an eyebrow meaningfully at Donna. She seemed to get the hint and sighed, holding up her hands for a second before picking up her mug.

"Fine, fine… what d'you want to talk about?"

"I dunno… anything… how's work going?" I asked with a shrug.

"Alright. I mean, I'm so passionate about filing it's ridiculous." She muttered, pulling a face. I laughed. "Nah, it's fine. I'm working for this big company. Although I have absolutely no idea what they do, exactly. There's this odd little man who–"

Wilf chuckled. "She's seeing alien conspiracies everywhere now." He told us, shaking his head. Donna scowled. "Not a day goes by when she's not looking out for anything odd. The slightest questionable incident and our Donna's jumping to conclusions. Last week she was convinced aliens were stealing cats on Brackley Terrace."

"Don't exaggerate, Gramps." Donna snapped as Wilf and I laughed. Tom looked mildly amused but Sylvia just sighed loudly.

"You need to get your head out of the clouds, my girl." She said, shaking her head. "You passed up your chance for that life when you turned the Doctor down last time."

"Oh, Mum!"

"Sylvia." Wilf murmured, shaking his head. "Leave it out."

Tom glanced at me, looking mildly alarmed. Evidently he wasn't used to families like mine. I grinned at him and stood up, reaching for his hand.

"Right, well… lovely as this was, we'd better be going." I said with a smile. "We can still make the later showing of the film, right?"

After saying goodbye to everyone, we escaped from the house and starting walking towards the main road. Tom was very quiet, gripping onto my hand tightly. I giggled softly.

"They like you, you know."

He raised an eyebrow, not looking convinced. "How can you tell?"

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><p><em><strong>AN: This is the last chapter of the diary that I've got saved up for you at the moment! Hopefully *fingers crossed very tightly* I might get a chance to write more at the weekend, but if not it's half term in just over two weeks, so I might *fingers and toes crossed very tightly* have the chance to write something then. I haven't even really got time to watch Doctor Who DVDs… shocking, I know… I'm getting serious withdrawal symptoms!**_

_**Anyway, thank you so much for being patient and still reading, reviewing, favouriting and alerting. It really does mean so, so much to me!**_

_**Becki x**_


	92. Babysitting

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Babysitting**

Age: 24

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: 2019

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><p><em><strong>Evie bent down with a sigh and gathered up the toys strewn over the living room floor. There'd been some kind of Universe-wide emergency that had required the efforts of both of her parents, as well as her grandparents, Jack, Donna, Gwen, Martha, Mickey, Sarah-Jane and Luke – who had all been collected from various points along the Doctor's timeline due to his inability to arrive at his intended destination. As a result, they needed someone to stay behind and babysit. Jenny and Evie were, apparently, the only sensible options and the brunette had lost out on the coin toss to her sister.<strong>_

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><p>"You have GOT to be kidding me." I muttered as the muffled sound of the TARDIS engines carrying my family away into the Vortex reached my ears. Then I looked down and sighed as the sight of seven small faces looked up at me.<p>

"Evie…" The tallest of the children said quietly. "Are you sure you can look after us?"

I gritted my teeth and forced my face into a bright smile. "You're kidding, right? I've taken on Daleks and Cybermen… a bunch of kids is a walk in the park, right?"

"Yeah… Alex is poking his finger in that socket." Anwen told me with a smirk, pointing towards where Martha and Mickey's younger son was sitting on the floor.

I swore, causing the older children to break into giggles, leaping across the room and scooping the two-year-old up in my arms. Clutching Alex against my hip, I took a deep breath. I had decided that the best way to survive babysitting was to pretend that I was in control – however out of my depth I got.

"So… who wants to watch TV?" I asked.

There was a scramble for the sofa and I plonked Alex on the seat between Joshua, his older brother, and Anwen's little brother, Osian. Turning on the television, I retreated into the kitchen, wracking my brains for a way of keeping the children occupied. I hadn't even been given an indication of how long their parents were going to be away for.

"Evie?"

I turned quickly, fixing a smile on my face as my eyes fell on Anwen and Zoe watching me closely from the doorway. "Yes, sweetie, what's up?"

"Sam wants to know when Mum's coming back." Zoe said. I glanced over their heads to where Donna and Jack's four-year-old son was sitting on the floor fiddling with his shoelaces.

"They won't be long." I assured the girl with a smile. "We're gonna have fun while we can, alright? We can do whatever you want."

"Can we have ice cream?" Zoe asked, raising an eyebrow and looking scarily like Donna.

"Can we have pizza and chips for lunch?" Anwen added hopefully.

"Can we go to the park?" Sam called from the living room.

I grinned and ushered the girls back towards the others. "Right, coats and shoes on; we're going out!"

There was chaos as they scrambled to find various items of clothing. Alex seemed to have taken his shoes off while I wasn't looking and one had completely vanished. After searching for about ten minutes Zoe discovered it, stuffed down the back of Dad's armchair. Then Hannah started crying because she couldn't find her doll. After another search of the living room, the toy was discovered underneath a pile of cushions and the little girl stopped crying abruptly.

Before anything else could go wrong, I ushered them out of the door, commanding them to hold hands and not let go until we got to the park. Leading the little train of children with me, we headed down the road and round the corner. Luckily the park wasn't far from our house, so we arrived before anything bad could happen.

After pushing Hannah and Alex on the swings for as long as I could stand and watched the others tearing around the playground shouting and laughing, I settled on the bench and folded my legs up underneath me.

"Mum never takes us to the park." Zoe confided, settling next to me on the hard wooden seat. She swung her legs slowly, sitting on her hands. "She doesn't even like Dad or Nan or Gramps taking us…"

I furrowed my eyebrows thoughtfully. "Why?"

"She doesn't like them. Even walking past them gives her the creeps. She said something to Dad about a computer world, but then they noticed me listening and stopped talking."

"That's…" I stopped, not wanting to worry the seven-year-old anymore. I smiled and gave her a quick, one-armed hug. She buried her face in my shoulder and I sighed, kissing the top of her head. Then I noticed that her beautiful red hair, so like Donna's, was escaping from her ponytail. "Come here…"

"Evie?" Anwen shouted from the top of the climbing frame, dangling upside down with her knees bent over the metal bar. I tried not to show that I was a little concerned by keeping my face blank and expressionless.

"Yeah?"

"Can we have chips now?"

"If you can get down from there without falling on your head and round the others up." I agreed. Then I looked down at Zoe who was still looking a little miserable. "Do I remember someone requesting ice cream?"

She grinned and leapt up, running towards her younger brother and sister to encourage them to leave the park quickly. I laughed, deciding that bribery was probably the best – even if it wasn't the most moral – way of getting children to do what I wanted without any arguments.

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><p><em><strong>Looking after seven children, five of whom were under the age of four, had been exhausting. Evie was sure her father had plucked their parents out of their times when the children were so young just to make her suffer and made up her mind to tell him off when he arrived back.<strong>_

_**For now, though, she was content to collapse on the sofa and watch a film with the baby monitor on the coffee table in front of her in case any of the children woke up. Evie did, however, hope that her mother didn't arrive home before she'd had the chance to tidy up. After three days of being invaded by seven children, the living room looked as though a bomb had hit it. The kitchen was worse.**_

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><p><em><strong>AN: Ahh? What is this? A new chapter?**_

_**Yes, it is! I got bored of working and wrote this instead... I should have been working... but I'll panic about that later! **_

_**Hope you like it sweeties!**_

_**x**_


	93. Second on the Left

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Second on the Left**

Age: 28

Location: Mentragula Fentoon, Pahiksiba Cluster

Date: 819,901.09/o

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><p>"What's HE doing here?" Dad asked, looking a little sulky.<p>

I grinned and squeezed Tom's hand reassuringly. Mum shook her head and moved around the TARDIS console, squeezing the Doctor's shoulders as she passed. Dad muttered something under his breath and disappeared down the steps to the platform underneath where we were standing.

"Tom is here because YOU said that he could come on an adventure with us." I pointed out, sticking my tongue out at Dad, who was looking up through the glass floor indignantly.

"What? When did I agree to that?" Dad demanded.

"When you found out that Tom had decided to go back to Uni and do medicine." I reminded him. The Doctor's face fell slightly as he accessed the relevant memory. Then he glared up at me and disappeared underneath the console.

"Don't mind him." Mum told Tom lightly, squeezing his arm. "He's only annoyed because his little girl has someone else to adore."

I pulled a face. "Mum!" Then I glanced over to where Tom was smirking, an eyebrow raised in amusement. Thumping him on the shoulder I rolled my eyes. "Don't go taking her seriously… she thinks she's funny."

"Where are we headed then?" Mum asked with a light laugh. "Shall I just set the coordinates to random and see where we end up?"

"Good idea." I agreed, moving to the console and running my fingers quickly over them, flicking switches and turning dials. "Stabilisers on?"

"Full power." Mum agreed, her hands moving over the controls just as quickly. "Dimension grids online."

I grinned at the blank look on Tom's face and kissed him gently as I whirled past to hit the pulsing yellow light on the console. We all hung on tightly as we passed through a rough patch in the Vortex, Mum and I resetting controls as soon as the turbulence had passed.

"We've landed." Mum announced, pulling the landing lever down with a flourish.

Excitedly I grabbed Tom's hand and dragged him down the steps towards the TARDIS door. I had just closed my other hand around the handle when Mum cleared her throat and I turned to see her looking at me; her arms on her hips, one eyebrow raised and one foot tapping impatiently.

"What?"

"You've forgotten the golden rule."

I sighed. "Atmosphere checks."

"We don't even know where we are." She reminded me, returning to the console and pulling the scanner towards her.

"Where are we then?" I asked, dragging Tom back up the steps towards her. He made no complaint, allowing me to pull him around without argument.

Dad reappeared as Mum was checking the readings and raised his eyebrows. "Don't let her walk all over you, Tom. This is where it starts. You've got to put your foot–"

"Oh, shut up." Mum and I chorused, not even looking at him.

"Right… radiation levels are normal… slightly higher oxygen in the air than normal, but that's compensated by marginally lower levels of carbon dioxide – you need to be careful you don't get light-headed. Temperature about 26°C or 78.8°F… 30 hour day, possibly high levels of metal in the ground due to the residue traces in the atmosphere."

"Ahh… We're on Mentragula Fentoon in the Pahiksiba Cluster!" The Doctor exclaimed with an air of conviction that surprised us all.

"How do you know that?" I demanded.

He grinned. "I looked at the scanner when I walked round the back."

"Oh!" Mum growled, stretching out to kick him on the back of his leg. I laughed and shook my head, pulling Tom towards the doors once more.

"Anything we need to watch out for, oh wise one?" I asked, teasing the Doctor.

"Well… apart from the locals… not really!"

"What's wrong with the locals?"

"Nothing much… they just don't really like children… or females… or strangers." Dad replied with a shrug. I raised an eyebrow and he beamed. "But we'll be fine!"

"Course we will!" I agreed, pulling my laser blaster out of its holster and checking the settings, much to his annoyance. "Let's go!"

x-x

"I thought you said we'd be fine?" I hollered as I dived behind a market stall, ducking as red laser beams hit the stone wall directly behind my head, sending a shower of rock and dust raining down over us.

"We would have been if you knew when to keep your mouth shut!" The Doctor shouted back, making me glare furiously at him.

"Oh yeah? That's rich coming from the idiot who started an argument with the brother of the President of the chief security force on the planet!" I shot back furiously, leaning around the stone pillar in front of me and aiming my laser blaster. I squeezed the trigger and heard a strangled cry and a thud before darting behind the pillar once more.

"Evie!" Tom shouted, pointing up.

I followed his gaze and saw one of the Mentragulan soldiers aiming his weapon at us. Spinning round I fired my gun and watched as the beam hit him, sending him crashing to the ground out of sight.

"Where's Mum?" I shouted over all the commotion, turning and firing at several more soldiers.

Dad met my gaze, his eyes widening as he realised that she wasn't with us. Taking a deep breath I ordered the Doctor and Tom to stay out of sight. Then I sprinted out from behind the market stall and threw myself behind a stone statue. Within seconds the soldiers were firing at it, chunks of rock flying in all directions.

Covering my head, I ran to the next statue, seconds before the first one exploded in a shower of stone and dust. Then I made my way round the side of the large building, sending several well-aimed blasts from my laser gun over my shoulder as I went.

"You took your time!" Mum gasped as I dropped to the ground beside her. I grinned and shook my head, trying to catch my breath.

"I was babysitting Dad!" I reminded her. "It's a full-time job!"

She laughed, sending off several more lasers beams, each hitting their mark easily. I followed suit, wondering as I did so how we were going to get out of here in one piece. There were two of us – Dad and Tom weren't much help without guns – and hundreds of them. Apparently Mum was having the same thought, because she pulled me down to the ground, our backs against the stone wall.

"Right… the TARDIS is about three streets over there." She told me in a low voice pointing over to her right. "If we can get there, we can materialise around Tom and your father and get out of here."

I nodded seriously, clenching my jaw in determination. We made our way slowly but steadily towards the spot where we'd left the police box. It finally came into view – a comforting sight in the middle of all the laser beams flying around.

"On three?" Mum muttered, glancing at me; her face drawn and resolute. I nodded. "Three!"

We jumped out from behind our hiding place and sprinted for the blue box. There was no time to search for keys, so as we approached Mum clicked her fingers and the doors sprang open ready.

As I crossed the threshold I felt a searing pain in my arm and gasped, collapsing inside and kicking the doors closed. With a whispered apology to the TARDIS for the action I climbed to my feet, examining my arm carefully. She telepathically nudged my mind, accepting the apology.

"Flesh wound." I assured Mum as she leapt back down the stairs towards me after sending the TARDIS to pick up the boys. "Flying debris caught me… it looks worse than it is."

"Your father…" Mum muttered, checking the gouge in my arm for herself. "Why does he always have to get us into these situations? One of these days…"

I winced as she prodded my wound angrily. "It wasn't completely his fault…" I admitted. "I may have inadvertently offended that soldier with the gold helmet."

"What did you do?" Mum asked wearily, sighing and leading me up to the seat beside the console so that she could clean the wound properly. "You don't mean the one with the red uniform? The high warrior?"

"That's the one. I think I might have accidentally told him I'd rather live with a Volvinto Swamp Hog than marry him."

"Marry him?"

"Yeah… some things were said and he decided that he wanted to marry me. Apparently I didn't get a say in the matter, because I'm only a female… and, well… I wasn't having that!" I told her with a shrug.

Mum nodded approvingly. "Quite right."

We grinned as the TARDIS began to materialise and the rather shell-shocked figures of Tom and the Doctor began to appear by the door.

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>That is positively the LAST time I let you put the controls on random!" The Doctor shouted as he moved around his console, patting it lovingly.<strong>_

"_**You say that every time, sweetie." River reminded him with a smirk and roll of her eyes.**_

"_**Yes, well… this happens every time."**_

_**Evie opened her mouth, but River cut her off. "This was your fault, sweetie. You're the one who antagonised the military men. You never know when to let an argument go."**_

"_**He was saying that the only way to support the growing population was to invade and colonise other planets for Mentragulan use." The Doctor snapped. "I couldn't just stand there and listen to that."**_

"_**Quite right… but did you have to cause a fight when I was wearing a sundress and flipflops?" River asked, grinning at him.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written from a prompt by Lealu, who asked for;**_ 'another Evie and Tom chapter but perhaps when they're a little older (maybe in their 20's) and perhaps on an adventure together ;)'

_**I hope you like it, doll. It went a little bit Evie/River rather than Evie/Tom, but I hope it was OK anyway! :)**_


	94. Blending In 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Blending In**

Age: 24

Location: Devon, England, Earth

Date: July, 2004

* * *

><p><em><strong>Flapping his hand as an acrid cloud of black smoke engulfed them, the Doctor coughed and pushed his daughters out of the TARDIS. As soon as they were clear, the doors slammed shut and there was a loud crackle and a ripple of purple static over the entire police box.<strong>_

_**Rounding on him, Evie and Jenny took up identical stances; their hands on their hips, one foot tapping and one eyebrow raised. The Doctor gulped.**_

"_**Listen, girls, it really wasn't my–" He started, trying to defend himself before the accusations started.**_

"_**Dad… what did you do to her?" Jenny demanded, moving to place a hand on the wooden door of the TARDIS. Before she had even made contact, there was a loud crack and a spark of purple energy and the blonde withdrew her hand quickly. "Dad!"**_

"_**I THINK it may have been the friction cross-depanulars." He said slowly, not sounding convinced. "Although I have a horrible feeling it may have been the reverse fusion monitors. If it was, this is very extremely not good."**_

"_**Not good in what way?" Evie demanded.**_

"_**Not good in that we may be stuck here for an indefinite amount of time while she repairs herself." He told them, pulling a face. "And by stuck here, I mean here…" he motioned around them wildly, "because she'll have sealed herself off completely."**_

"_**Hence the purple static." Evie sighed, putting two and two together.**_

"_**Hence the purple static." The Doctor agreed looking apologetic.**_

* * *

><p>"Any ideas, then?" I demanded, folding my arms over my chest once more and staring at Dad. He looked uneasy and shifted from foot to foot. "Anything?"<p>

"We're going to have to be… human." He said after a minute or two of silent deliberation.

Jenny looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, we're going to have to do human things. Find a house, get jobs, go shopping." He continued, growing obviously more and more excited by the prospect the more he thought about it.

"Shopping?" Jenny and I exchanged a glance and I shook my head. "No, we did that once… at Donna's. It was horrible."

"Can't we just go and stay with her?" Jenny asked, pleadingly.

"No!" Dad said firmly. "It can't be that difficult. Normal people manage it. Besides, we don't know when we are. "

"Neither do we know WHERE we are." I pointed out.

Wrinkling up his nose, Dad licked his left index finger and held it up in the air. "Definitely Earth… definitely England… the South West. I'd say North Devon, somewhere near Barnstaple."

"How d'you know that?" I demanded, grudgingly impressed.

"There's a sign behind you." He said, grinning and pointing.

Turning round I saw that, sure enough, there was a large traffic sign informing us that we were 2½ miles from Barnstaple. Shaking my head I glared at him.

"I hate you."

"No you don't." He replied quickly, his finger still aloft. "But as to then when… It's probably late June or early to mid-July. And it's almost definitely a weekday."

"What? Is there a giant calendar somewhere around here?" I asked sarcastically.

He looked affronted. "No! It's about 22°C, so it's summer but there are no children in that playground, so it's not the summer holidays or a weekend."

"Calm down Sherlock." I muttered, annoyed that his reasoning sounded plausible.

"Right, girls… let's see if we can find us a house."

"I don't think it's that easy, Dad." Jenny told him as we jogged to catch up with him as he strode off along the country lane. "For one thing you need money."

"I've got some of that." He assured her, grinning. "And the psychic paper and my sonic screwdriver; what else could we possibly need?"

As neither Jenny nor I could think of anything to say, we sighed and followed him wordlessly. Dad led us through a small village, smiling and waving at everyone we passed – much to their confusion and obvious suspicion and our embarrassment – until we reached a small shop. Above the door was a sign reading 'Puddlesham Village Stores' in large, faded lettering. Pushing open the door, causing a bell to tinkle and signal our presence, the Doctor went inside, going straight up to the counter.

"Hello!" He greeted the elderly lady behind the till excitedly, leaning over the counter to bestow several air-kisses on her, much to her obvious alarm. "What a lovely shop!"

"Stop it… act normally!" I ordered in a hiss, making him turn and look at me in confusion for a moment.

"Right, good… morning?"

"Afternoon." The woman replied with a curt nod of her head and a look of complete mistrust.

"Quite, afternoon." Dad repeated, smiling warmly.

As he spoke to the woman, asking whether she knew of any houses for sale, Jenny and I wandered around the shop. It was very different from the supermarket that we'd gone into in Chiswick. For one thing it was much smaller and stocked far less varieties of food. Rather than being disappointed, I decided that I preferred it – there was less to panic over.

"Look…" Jenny said, appearing at my side with a newspaper in her hand. She pointed to the date at the top. "Tuesday 13th July 2004."

"He's going to be unbearable when he finds out he was right." I said with a grin. Jenny nodded in agreement, returning the paper to its shelf before we re-joined Dad at the counter.

"Thank you very much indeed, Mrs Peters." He was saying as we approached. "We'll go there now and I'll pop round tomorrow morning and have a look at that washing machine for you."

"Oh, thank you, Doctor!" The woman, Mrs Peters, said gratefully all signs of any suspicions she had about Dad had completely vanished. She smiled and waved as Dad ushered us out of the shop, waving over his shoulder.

"How did you… washing machine?" I asked as Dad closed the door behind us and glanced around before setting off towards the lane to the left of the Church.

"What a nice lady. She lives in the flat above the shop. She's widowed but has three cats; Alistair, Benjamin and Simon. Or do I mean three sons? None of them live with her, though, so I must mean sons." He rambled. "Anyway, she said that her friend, Mrs Wellington, is going to stay with her daughter in Australia for a couple of months and was looking for someone reliable to house-sit for her."

"She doesn't know us, though?" Jenny pointed out. "Is this Mrs Wellington going to let three complete strangers live in her house?"

Dad grinned and wafted the psychic paper at her. "With the kind of references we've got, she'll be biting our hands off."

"But the washing machine?" I reminded him.

"Oh, yeah… she happened to mention that hers was on the blink so I said I'd pop over and sort it out. With the sonic screwdriver it should be simple enough to fix."

"Maybe you can get a job as a handyman." I joked.

He looked at me as though he thought it was the best idea he'd ever heard. Jenny and I groaned, but had no time to argue as we had arrived outside a picturesque cottage, complete with everything you'd expect to see on a postcard of the perfect country home. There were even roses climbing the wall around the front door and a little arch over the garden gate.

Excitedly, Dad led the way up the path and rang the doorbell. After a moment or two, the door opened and a small lady with large glasses peered out at us. Two small terriers appeared at her feet, escaping outside and sniffing us interestedly.

"Hello, Mrs Wellington, is it?" Dad asked, charming as always. "Lovely to meet you."


	95. Blending In 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Blending In**

Twenty minutes later, Dad, Jenny and I were sitting on the floral sofa in Mrs Wellington's living room sipping tea out of china cups and eating slices of Victoria Sponge off matching china plates. Somehow, I wasn't completely sure how, Dad had managed to convince the old lady that we would be the perfect people to house-sit for her. I was inclined to check for signs that he'd used the hallucinogenic lipstick on her because she'd also announced that her flight was that evening, so we could move in straight away.

The only condition was that we also looked after her dogs; Basil and Rosemary. I glanced at Dad at this request, remembering all too well how long I'd been allowed to keep my puppy when I was thirteen due to his allergies. Dad, however, beamed and assured her that they would be no trouble.

"Dad?" Jenny hissed as we stood on the doorstep several hours later, waving at the taxi that was driving away with the old lady in the back. "How did you do that?"

"What?"

She glanced at me and I shrugged. "How did you convince her that her flight was tonight?"

"I didn't." He said. "It actually was tonight. I saw the tickets and everything. She's flying out of Heathrow Airport and half past three tomorrow morning."

"What about the dogs? I thought you were allergic?" I challenged him, raising an eyebrow.

"I was, but now I'm not."

"What? How does that work?"

He grinned and shrugged, turning and heading into the house. "Time Lord DNA… it's a wonder."

I rolled my eyes at Jenny and we followed him into the house, closing the front door firmly behind us.

x-x

The next morning when I woke up, it took a couple of moments for me to work out why I was in a large, iron-framed double bed with a floral duvet. There had been a rush to choose the best room the night before and the Doctor had lost; meaning that he had to sleep in the tiny box room. Jenny got the guest room and I ended up in what I assumed was Mrs Wellington's bedroom. I refused to sleep until the sheets had been changed – even though the old lady had assured us that she'd already done that.

Yawning, I stretched and rolled over. The tiny alarm clock on the bedside table read half past six. I flung the duvet aside and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, padding across the thick carpet to the window. The curtains were similarly patterned to the duvet; all in all I had decided that there was far too much floral decoration in the room. The worst had to be the frilly lampshade dangling above my head.

The way the sun was already shining strongly I guessed that it was going to be a hot day. Smiling and thinking about the amount of sunbathing I would have the chance to do, I grabbed my things and retreated to the bathroom to have a shower.

"Morning." Dad called cheerfully, handing me a mug of coffee as I entered the kitchen.

I looked down at it suspiciously, raising an eyebrow as I spotted several granules floating on the top. Quickly, I poured it down the sink and hunted around in the cupboards until I discovered a coffee percolator buried behind some packets of tea and plugged it in.

"Sorry, Dad." I apologised, smiling at him. He shrugged, apparently too overexcited by our current situation to mind too much.

"What's your plan for today?" He asked, dropping into a chair and taking an enormous bite from a slice of toast.

"I dunno… sunbathing, a bit of TV…"

"No, no." Dad shook his head, leaping to his feet again and almost dancing round the kitchen. "No, no, no."

I sighed. "Why?"

"Because we're doing this properly! Besides, if you don't get a job we won't have money."

"What? I thought you said you had money. Besides, why don't you get a job?" I demanded. "Or Jen?"

"Technically I have money… in the TARDIS."

"And we can't get into the TARDIS." Jenny pointed out, appearing in the doorway and sighing.

Dad nodded cheerfully. "Exactly."

"Great…" I muttered, ripping a slice of teeth apart with my teeth and glaring at him.

x-x

"So, what past experience do you have?" I raised an eyebrow at the middle-aged man who was looking at me over the top of his glasses. He looked taken-aback at my response to his question and decided to rephrase his question. "Have you worked in a garden centre before?"

"No."

"Right… Do you actually want this job?"

I shook my head. "Not really."

"OK… we'll be in touch."

I stood up and grabbed my jacket from the back of the chair. Nodding at the man, I left the office quickly and headed out of the building. I'd never been in a garden centre before, let alone wanted to work in one.

Jenny had gone to talk to Mrs Peters in the shop, about the job she'd advertised in the window, so I decided to meet her there before walking back to the cottage with her. They were laughing about something when I walked in, so I leant on the counter and waited for them to finish their conversation.

"Jenny was telling me that you were looking for a job as well, dear." The old woman said with a smile. "Any luck?"

"Not yet." I shook my head.

"Well, my niece owns the hairdressers over the green. She mentioned that she was looking for a new receptionist. Should I put a word in for you?"

I thought for a moment and then nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

"Well, Jenny if you come in tomorrow at 9 we'll get you started straight away." Mrs Peters said with a smile. "And I'll let you know then whether your sister has a job too."

"Evie." I told her with a smile, holding out my hand.

"Well, Evie, I'll speak to Polly tonight and let Jenny know in the morning."

We thanked Mrs Peters and headed out of the shop. As soon as the bell tinkled and the door closed, I turned to fix Jenny with a puzzled expression.

"D'you think this is all a bit easy?" I asked. She looked confused. "I mean… we turn up here, find somewhere to live straight away… you get a job that starts immediately and Dad… well, he's probably earned a load of money already this morning."

Jenny shrugged. "Things always seem easy with Dad around. He has a habit of making things fall into place."

"When he's not making them blow up." I pointed out with a sigh.


	96. Blending In 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Blending In**

"Scissor Sisters, good morning." I said as brightly as I could manage after saying the same thing for about the twelfth time in the last half an hour. "Yes, Mrs Hudson… next Wednesday? Quarter to ten? Brilliant... We'll see you then."

Putting the phone down, I sighed and carried on flicking through the magazine that was open on the counter in front of me. A moment or two later I was disturbed again, by an elderly lady wanting to pay for her cut and colour.

"Here you go, love." The woman said, pressing a pound coin into my hand. "Treat yourself."

I smiled and thanked her, pushing the money into my pocket and returning my attention to the magazine once more. I'd been working at the hairdressers for nearly two weeks and it was getting boring. Dad and Jenny were getting used to their human lives, but I was starting to get homesick for my normal life. Not that there was much normal about it.

"Evie? Could you make Mrs Palmer a cup of tea, please?" Ellen, Mrs Peters' other niece, called from her position behind the woman in the styling chair.

Nodding, I slid off the stool and went into the back, humming to myself as I boiled the kettle. A pulsing blue light on one of the top shelves caught my attention. Furrowing my eyebrows and immediately suspicious, I went up on my tiptoes and tried to see what was causing the flashing.

Unable to see, I pulled out the crate from underneath the bottom shelf and climbed onto it. It gave me just enough extra light so that I could see properly. Reaching towards the light, I pulled a pair of clippers towards me. Sighing, I got off the crate and pushed it back out of the way, examining the clippers as I did so. Apparently the flashing light was just a warning that the battery was dying.

Disappointed that it was something mundane, I made Mrs Palmer's tea and went back into the shop, pulling the door of the stockroom closed behind me. Then I stopped. The hairdressers was completely empty. There was no sign of Ellen or Mrs Palmer or old Mrs Baintree who'd been sitting waiting for her appointment.

I put the mug of tea down on the counter and went to the door. Opening it quickly and causing the little bell to tinkle irritatingly, I poked my head out into the street. There was no sign of the three women anywhere. In fact, there was no sign of anyone.

Taking a step outside the door, I narrowed my eyes. It was far too quiet. I jumped as someone shot out of a doorway to my right. Then I sighed with relief, recognising the blonde hair at once.

"Jen?"

"Evie?"

"Yeah… Have you seen Ellen?" I asked, folding my arms. "She was in here a minute ago but now…"

"Mrs Peters was serving Old Joe and I popped into the back for a minute to get more sugar and when I came back they'd gone." Jenny told me, furrowing her eyebrows and looking confused. "Where are they all?"

"I dunno…"

"But…"

"Jen. I don't know!" I repeated, clenching my jaw and looking around. "Where's Dad?"

"I think he said he had a job over at Pilton… or was it Bickington?"

Shaking my head I started across the green. "I'm hoping it was Pilton… That's half as far as Bickington. I think he needs to get back here, as soon as possible."

"Why?" Jenny asked, looking alarmed. "What d'you think it is?"

"I dunno… but it can't be good, can it? I mean, people just vanishing? And why are we still here?"

We stared around at the deserted shops and village green. Even the playground was completely empty. It was odd.

"Jen… can you hear that?" I asked suddenly, stopping dead in the middle of the grassy area in the centre of the village. A low, throbbing hum seemed to be coming from all around us.

"Yeah… wh–?"

There was no time for Jenny to finish her question before a shimmering haze appeared ahead of us. Handing Jenny my mobile, I ordered her to phone Dad and get him back here. Then I took several steps towards the haze. Something was solidifying, taking shape and becoming more solid as I watched.

After a minute or two a huge, grey shape stood on the road between us and the playground. I folded my arms over my chest, watching it. Behind me I could hear Jenny hissing into the phone. She hung up and came to stand beside me, pushing the mobile into my hand.

"He'll be here in five minutes. He's running from Pilton, he's on the main road." She muttered.

There was a low hydraulic hiss and a door began to open, lowering from the side of the ship to the ground, creating a set of steps. Silently we watched as tall, human-shaped creatures descended. They were clad from head to toe in black leather, almost like armour. On their heads they wore helmets like those worn on motorbikes.

Five of them descended, forming a line in front of their ship, staring at us. At least, I assumed they were staring at us. It was impossible to tell underneath their helmets. For a while they stood perfectly still, as did Jenny and I.

"What are they?" Jenny muttered under her breath. "Ever seen them before?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing…"

The tension was mounting. The creatures hadn't moved. Neither had they made any attempt to communicate with us. After exchanging a few concerned looks with Jenny, I was about to take the bull by the horns and demand to know who they were and what they were doing, when I felt an arm around my shoulders and glanced round quickly, coming face to face with Dad. I sighed with relief and grinned at him.

"Afternoon!" Dad cried, letting go of Jenny and I and stepping forward to address the creatures. He strode up and down the row, looking closely at them. "Slabs… who are you working for this time?"

"Slabs?"

"Yeah… like… created servants. Last time I encountered them was at a hospital on Earth… they were working for a Plasmavore."

"Everyone's vanished, Dad." I told him quickly. "Everyone in the village except us."

"I think it's a bit bigger than that." Dad replied, glancing at us quickly. "I'd say everyone in the area... possibly even the country."

Even with Dad's constant chattering, the Slabs hadn't said anything. They'd stayed stock still, their arms dangling by their sides and their heads facing straight ahead.

"Oh? So you're not going to talk?" Dad asked, waving his sonic screwdriver around. "You came all this way to stay quiet?" Flicking the top out, he turned the device to check the readings and screwed up his face. "Curious…"

"Curious?"

"Something I haven't seen in a long time."

I sighed. "What?"

"Traces of Grintax pollen on the suits. Only one place in the universe where Grintax trees pollinate." He told us seriously, before grinning.

"Where's that then?" I asked, crossing my arms.

It wasn't Dad who answered my question, it was Jenny. "The Trim Cluster in the Polfrinx Collection."

"The what of the where?" I demanded.

"The Trim Cluster in the Polfrinx Collection." She repeated taking a step forwards and pulling the sonic out of Dad's hand. "But that's not very likely… I mean, the Trims are a peaceful people. They're farmers and fishers… primitive people. What are they doing abducting people from Earth?"

"That's what I'm going to find out." Dad informed us seriously, plucking the sonic screwdriver back out of Jenny's grasp and pocketing it quickly. He strode towards the Slabs and stood directly in front of the one in the middle. "Excuse me… may I come through?"

The tall figure stood aside instantly, letting Dad pass. Jenny and I exchanged a look before following quickly before they could block our path. We ascended the steps quickly and found ourselves inside a very basic space ship. The floor was made of pieces of metal grid-work slotted together, not totally square in places, as though it was a patchwork of materials that the builders had thrown together.

"What are we looking for?" Jenny hissed as we followed Dad along the narrow corridor. Pale orange lights flickered and flashed above us.

"Something… anything… nothing…" Dad replied, ducking through a doorway on his right.

We followed and found ourselves in a control room. It was completely deserted. Dad dropped into the chair behind the main console and began tapping away at the controls. Images and readings flashed up on the screen.

"Well?" I asked, leaning over him to see what was showing on the screen.

"Ahh… just a little glitch in the programming. This is a surveillance ship; sent out to monitor any threat to the Trim species. The Slabs are its pilots… just here to ensure the ship makes it back. But there's been a diversion in the power flow and it's caused the temporal feeds to become distorted. If I can just reconfigure the data con– there!"

"There?" Jenny asked, leaning over Dad's other shoulder.

"All sorted. I've reversed the teleportation emergency protocols and everything should be back to normal. The Slabs can take their ship home."

I pulled a face. "As simple as that?"

"As simple as that." He agreed with a nod. "It also means that we can go home as well. The failing systems on this ship were damaging the flight protocols of the TARDIS… like a distress signal scrambling our flight patterns. Now this is sorted, she can get back to her old self."

"Brilliant!" I grinned. "I'm so bored of being normal."


	97. Banged Up

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Banged Up**

Age: 19

Location: Grensten Six

Date: 682 AD

* * *

><p>"This is all your fault, as usual." I heard Mum snapping angrily through the gloom of the cold, damp prison cell we'd been thrown into what felt like hours earlier.<p>

Mum and the Doctor were somewhere on the other side of the room. The tall, stocky Banhooleys had captured the three of us making our way through the Miftoon Caverns several hours earlier. The Doctor had been arguing too loudly with Mum about the origins of the metal compound found in the caverns and used by the Banhooleys in making their weapons to hear the troops creeping up on us. By the time we realised it was too late and even the Time Lord's reasoning and excuses had fallen on deaf ears.

Apparently it was against Banhoolian law for anyone to enter the Miftoon Caverns without the royal crest of approval and that was the reason that the three of us had been arrested, injected with Finshaan sleeping drugs and dumped in this cell. Of course, it was the Doctor's fault. As always.

When I'd woken up from the drugs, it had taken a while for me to realise where I was and what was happening. Pulling myself into a seating position, something that was made incredibly difficult, by the fact that my hands had been chained to the wall behind my back, I wondered why my feet felt wet. Then I realised that my shoes had been taken.

"Oi!" I muttered into the darkness, trying to project my voice in the direction I thought Mum and the Doctor where. "What's going on?"

"Evie!" Mum called, relief clear in her voice. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, fine… except they've nicked my shoes."

There was a silence. Then Mum replied in a strange tone. "Your shoes?"

"Yeah!" I shuffled slightly, making the chains attaching me to the wall clank. "The weirdos! They better give them back. I love those shoes."

"Evie…" The Doctor started slowly. "Apart from your shoes, have they taken anything else?"

"No, just the shoes." I assured him after quickly checking. My jeans, t-shirt and jacket were still exactly where they should be.

"Odd…"

"Yeah, very odd." I agreed, rolling my eyes and wondering why he was focusing on the fact that my shoes were gone when we were all still chained to the stone walls of the prison cell. "Can we please get back to the more important issue at hand? How are we going to get out of here?"

"Right… rescue mission." The Doctor muttered, obviously thinking hard.

Before we got any further, we all heard the sound of loud footsteps approaching and the sound of keys in a lock. The cell door was pushed open, sending a pool of light across the floor of the stone room. It was just enough for me to make out the figures of Mum and the Doctor chained up on the wall opposite the door, at the other end of the cell from me. I was about to point out the unfairness of this, when two of the huge guards approached and began to unlock my chains.

"OI! Leave her alone!" Mum was shouting, her orders falling on deaf ears. "Pick on someone your own size! She's just a kid!"

The two Banhooleys grasped my arms, lifting me off the ground so that my legs were dangling about a foot in the air above the ground and began to carry me out of the cell. As we reached the door, I hooked my feet around the frame and tried to cling on. With very little effort, one of the guards reached backwards and freed my feet.

Struggling made no difference whatsoever and the creatures carried me along the dark, stone corridor as if I weighed no more than a bag of flour. After a while I gave up kicking and punching and scratching. There was no point.

Suddenly the Banhooleys stopped. I felt a huge jolt and then I was dropped to the floor unceremoniously landing in a crumpled heap at their feet. Grumbling loudly I picked myself up and dusted myself off, glaring at them. There was no time to complain, however, as a set of heavy metal double doors were thrown open to reveal some kind of meeting room.

At the far end on a pair of ornately decorated chairs, rather like a pair of thrones, sat two Banhooleys in rich red cloaks. I guessed that they must be important; probably the King and Queen, judging from the metal headdresses they were wearing.

The guards prodded me firmly in the back, pushing me towards them. I glared but walked quickly as the hand was replaced by the sharp point of a sword.

"Haffaaa Knaffaaa Tinaka Balg." One of the creatures in the thrones said. I waited for a moment before the TARDIS translation kicked in. "Kneel before His Highness, King Balg."

After a split second, I decided to do as I was ordered. There was no point angering them yet, if at all. I sank to my knees, but held my head high, almost glaring at the pair in the thrones.

"Who are you?"

"I am Evie Song, daughter of the archaeologist Doctor River Song."

"What was your business in the Miftoon Caverns?" The King demanded, standing up and taking several steps towards me, his hands clasped behind his back. He looked a little surprised that I barely blinked as he approached.

"My mother was carrying out an archaeological expedition from the Luna University." I found myself saying. I stopped, my eyes widening. I hadn't intended to tell them anything of the sort. "She was doing a study into the metal compound known as Miftoon and the potential uses of it on the commercial market."

"Thank you, Miss Song."

"Hang on… why did I just tell you all that?" I demanded, standing up quickly.

A guard moved forwards and pushed me back to the ground. I collapsed under the weight of the large hand, hitting the ground hard. The King moved forwards again, waving the guard away. Shakily I climbed to my feet once more, refusing to stay down. This time there was no hand on my shoulder and I stayed upright.

"Because I asked." He said. "Now… that man with you… who is he?"

I looked at the eager expression on his face and made up my mind there and then not to answer. Nevertheless, I heard the words I was trying to suppress escaping from my mouth.

"The Doctor. A Time Lord. The last of the Time Lords."

There was a loud chattering from all around the room until the King held up a hand to stop them. Silence fell and he smiled broadly. "Thank you, Miss Song."

"No, wait… how?"

The doors flew open and everyone turned. Mum and the Doctor were standing in the doorway. The Doctor strode forwards, flipping his sonic screwdriver over and over in his hands. Mum looked annoyed.

"If you're going to administer a truth serum that works by directly entering the pores of the intended victim you could be a little more subtle about it." The Doctor told them, striding towards me and throwing me the sonic as he passed. Coming to a stop in front of the King of the Banhooleys he glanced backwards. "I mean… stealing her shoes? How obvious was that?"

I glanced at Mum, who rolled her eyes and approached me quickly. Then I looked down at the sonic screwdriver, spotting immediately that the Doctor had set it to call the TARDIS as soon as the button was pressed. Guessing that I was supposed to summon his time machine, I pressed the button, feeling the familiar surge of energy as the police box materialised around me. Seconds later the Doctor burst through the doors and sprinted to the controls, sending us into the Vortex.

"Here you go!" He called happily, throwing something to Mum before plucking his beloved screwdriver from my hand. "A sample of Miftoon, enjoy."

I glanced at the metal crown in her hands and shook my head. "How did you get out of the cell?"

"Oh…" Mum raised her gaze from the crown and sighed. "That idiot forgot about the existence of his sonic screwdriver. Once he'd remembered we were out of there in seconds."


	98. Just Be Yourself

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Just Be Yourself**

Age: 16

Location: Chiswick, London, Earth

Date: 2013

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie let out a long sigh and prodded at her hair in the mirror for about the fifth time in as many minutes. Her grandmother gave a quiet laugh and put her hands on her shoulder, sweeping a long dark curl away from Evie's face.<strong>_

"_**Calm down, sweetie, you look beautiful." She assured her.**_

_**Evie turned around and pulled a face. "What if they don't like me?"**_

"_**Of course they'll like you!" Amy told her with a laugh. "Just be yourself and they won't be able to help themselves."**_

"_**That is the worst piece of advice I have ever received. Be myself? What, something like, hello Mr and Mrs Parker, my name's Evie and I travel through time and space beating up aliens. I was actually born in the 51**__**st**__** century in a high security prison. Yes, I will have more potatoes, thanks." Evie said sarcastically as her grandmother laughed.**_

"_**Don't be ridiculous!" She advised, handing Evie her jacket. "Just… act like a normal person. Or at least try!"**_

* * *

><p>I stood nervously on the doorstep, silently wishing that Donna, Nan and Gramps would just drive away before Tom's parents opened the door. I had no such luck, as the front door opened and there was no sound of a car engine behind me.<p>

"Hello, you must be Evie." A tall, blonde woman said as soon as the door opened. I smiled at her nervously, taking in the perfect hair and makeup and manicured nails on the hand still clutching the door.

"Yes, hello Mrs Parker." I replied, unsure whether to hold out my hand for her to shake or not.

She looked past me, much to my frustration and her gaze fixed on the car parked on the road at the end of their drive. I felt my heart sink, able to imagine the scene she was seeing. Gramps was probably grinning and waving wildly at her, Nan batting at him in an attempt to get him to stop and Donna scrutinising her closely. I held my breath.

Mrs Parker smiled, the smile not quite meeting her eyes, as she turned her attention back to me. "That must be your family?"

"Yes… my aunt Donna, my grandmother and great-grandfather." I told her weakly, wondering if she was going to invite me inside or not. From the look on her face and the way she was gripping the door tightly I guessed that she hadn't completely decided herself.

"Lovely…" She said after a moment. Then to my relief she stood aside and motioned for me to go in. "Shall we?"

Inside their house was beautiful. It was like something out of the home magazines that Nan bought and read from cover to cover, dreaming about her perfect house and everything she'd buy if she had the money.

Mrs Parker ushered me into the living room. Everything was cream and I was almost scared to sit on the sofa in case I spoilt it just by touching it. Tom smiled warmly at me and stood up at once, taking my hand and pulling me to sit on the sofa beside him. Now I realised how he felt when he'd met my family.

"So, Evie, Thomas tells us you're being home-schooled at the moment?" Mr Parker said, smiling. He seemed much friendlier than his wife, with his warm brown eyes.

"Yes, my mother is an archaeologist and spends a lot of time on expeditions. I go with her a lot and when I don't I stay with my grandmother, great-grandfather and aunt." I told them, as honestly as I could.

"And you met Thomas at school?" His father continued. I nodded.

"I remember you!" The boy sitting on the sofa opposite said suddenly. He could only be Tom's younger brother, he was so similar. "You were expelled for blowing up the chemistry lab!"

"Umm… yeah…" I agreed, shifting awkwardly in my seat. "That was… I…"

My eyes flicked uncomfortably to Tom's parents. His mother was pulling the face of someone sucking on a lemon and trying to catch a particularly speedy Gryle Rat at the same time. His father, however, gave a chortle of amusement.

"I remember Thomas telling us about that! It was you, was it? Well I never!"

"So, Evie." Mrs Parker cut in. "Are you planning on taking A-Levels after your GCSEs?"

I didn't feel the need to inform her that I wasn't even taking GCSEs, so I just nodded. "Oh, yes, probably in History, Geography, Physics and English Literature."

"Really?" She looked slightly surprised, obviously expecting me either to not be taking the exams or to be doing something less academic. "Our elder daughter, Thomas' elder sister Amanda, is currently studying English Literature at Oxford. You should speak to her if you need any advice. And our other daughter, Isobel, has a place to read History at Cambridge next year." She continued, motioning to the bored looking blonde girl sitting beside her younger brother and opposite me.

Rather than seeming as though she was offering their assistance should I need it, Tom's mother made it sound as though she simply wanted me to know how well her daughters were doing. I smiled and said nothing, merely trying to fix my face into an expression which said I was impressed. Oxford and Cambridge meant nothing to me.

After a little more small talk, Mrs Parker informed us that dinner was ready and I was ushered into the dining room. A long, polished mahogany table took pride of place with polished silver and crystal ware set out neatly on it. I briefly wondered whether this was all for my benefit, or whether they always ate like this. Nevertheless I noticed Mrs Parker looking at my face and moulded it into an impressed expression.

"I do hope you like prawns, Evie." She said, setting a glass bowl in front of me.

"Actually, Mrs Parker, I'm allergic to shellfish." I told her apologetically, looking at the creatures set out decoratively in the bowl. "Sorry."

She could barely conceal her sigh of annoyance as she picked up the bowl and swept it away. "Never mind. As long as you're not allergic to Beef Wellington or Black Forest Gateaux, we'll be alright."

I managed to fend off any awkward questions through the rest of dinner and was immensely glad when the clock on the mantelpiece struck ten and I could make my escape. Mrs Parker tried her best to look disappointed, but I could tell she couldn't wait for me to leave.

"Will someone be coming to collect you?" She asked as I put my coat on in the hallway.

"Yes, probably all three of them, actually."

"Oh, I'll come and say hi. I can ask your Gramps about that book he said he'd lend me." Tom said quickly, ushering me through the front door. He squeezed my hand as we walked down the driveway. "Don't worry, she's always like that. Dad likes you a lot."

"That's good." I said weakly. "At least it wasn't a complete disaster, then!"


	99. Don't Go There

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Don't Go There**

Age: 35

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: October 2007

* * *

><p><em><strong>River had insisted that Evie stayed at home for a week after regenerating, just to make sure there were no adverse effects. The younger woman was totally frustrated by being under house arrest and had taken to stamping around the house announcing that her mother was keeping her a prisoner. No one took her seriously and finally River got bored of Evie moping around and told her to go out.<strong>_

_**No one, apart from River, Jenny, Amy and Rory had seen the new-look Evie and the Time Lady was keen to use this fact to have a little fun with her friends and family. Her first stop was Cardiff; the Torchwood Hub.**_

* * *

><p>I walked purposefully across Roald Dhal Plass, knowing that the surveillance cameras would have picked up my progress and Jack's interest would have been raised as soon as I'd winked directly at the camera.<p>

I hesitated and then decided to go into the Hub via the Tourist Information Office. As predicted, Ianto was manning the desk when I pushed the door open and went it. He glanced up at me, no recognition on his face at all, and smiled. I grinned.

"Hi, can I help you?" He asked, leaning on the desk and looking professional as always.

"No, I don't think so." I told him with a smile. "But maybe Jack can?"

Ianto looked surprised. "Err… Jack?"

"Yup…" I leant on the desk, smirking at him. "Captain Jack Harkness, head of Torchwood Three."

As soon as the words had left my mouth the sirens blasted, the red lights flashed and the secret entrance opened, revealing Jack standing in the doorway with Gwen beside him. Both had guns clutched in their arms and they were both glaring at me. I grinned.

"Well, hello there, Jack. And Gwen too, how nice!"

"Who are you?" Gwen demanded, glaring furiously at me as Ianto pressed the button behind the desk which locked the door to the Tourist Office; as though I was attempting to escape.

"Well that's not very polite, Ms Cooper!"

Gwen and Jack exchanged a look. Then Jack lowered the gun he was pointing at me and let it dangle at his side. Gwen, however, didn't move. She beckoned her head towards the entrance to the Hub, obviously meaning for me to go through. I shrugged and did as she requested.

"Again, not very polite."

"OK… who are you?" Jack demanded as soon as I was seated in one of the swivel chairs from the desks that had been pulled into the centre of the area so there was space around it.

Jack was standing in front of me, his arms folded across his chest and his eyebrows furrowed. Gwen was still holding the gun and Owen was now pointing Jack's gun at me. Tosh and Ianto hovered behind them.

"You'll never guess." I replied with a grin.

"So tell me. What do you want?"

"Nothing. Just popped in for a catch up, that's all!" I said innocently, smiling at him. "It's… what? 2007? October? How's Rhys, Gwen?"

She glanced at Jack and shifted the gun slightly so she had a better grip. "What?"

"The lovely Rhys? How is he?"

"Put her in a vault." Jack ordered and, before I could protest, Owen was manhandling me down to the vaults where the weevils were kept.

"Oi!" I snapped, slapping his hands away. "Watch where you're putting your hands! If Jack saw you…"

"He'd do what?" Owen asked, raising an eyebrow.

I glared at him. "Get Jack. I want to talk to him."

x-x

It was almost two hours before Jack appeared in the vaults. I was incredibly bored with this game by now and ready to tell him who I was. No doubt this was his plan when he decided to leave me here waiting for him.

"So, you're ready to talk to me?" Jack asked, putting his head on one side and smirking. I knew that look all too well and it made me change my mind about telling him the truth.

"I was… then I changed my mind." I informed him with a smirk, equally broad as his. He raised an eyebrow and opened the vault door. "Aren't you worried I'll escape?"

"What? A sweet, innocent, young thing like you?" Jack asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Oh, you shouldn't underestimate what I'm capable of, Captain." I warned him, leaning close and whispering the last couple of words into his ear. When I drew back I had his gun in my hand and was aiming it directly at his chest. I winked.

"I'm impressed." He admitted, not moving or even flinching.

"Thank you."

"Shame it's not loaded."

I narrowed my eyes, suspecting a trick and checking the gun for bullets. He was right; it was empty. "I could still use it to batter you."

"You could." He agreed. "But where would that get you?"

I put my hands on my hips and smirked as he took a step towards me. Flicking my hair over my shoulder I raised an eyebrow. He hesitated, a flicker of something that looked like recognition passing through his eyes. Then he dismissed it and moved to stand directly in front of me so that we were almost touching.

"No… that approach won't get you what you want." He told me decisively.

"Don't even think about it." I told him with a smirk.

He looked as though he thought my words were a challenge, glancing between my eyes and my mouth. Before I could dodge him, Jack leant forwards and planted a kiss on my lips, gripping hold of my hips tightly. I squirmed, trying to break free, but he was stronger than me. Finally I managed to wriggle out of his grip and smacked him on the chest, glaring at him.

"Seriously, you have no idea who I am?" I demanded.

Looking confused, Jack shrugged. "What… No? Should I?"

"Yes, Uncle Jack, you should."

Jack jumped back quickly, as though his close proximity to me had burnt him. The colour drained from his face and he looked as though he was about to be sick. I grinned and laughed, chuckling at the expression he was pulling.

"Evie?"

"Hello!" I agreed, waving at him. Jack seemed to have lost the ability to move, so I pushed past him and wandered out of the vault, shooting a wink at the security camera and folded my arms over my chest. "I told you not to go there!"

"But… you're blonde. Evie isn't blonde!" He protested, suddenly finding his voice.

"Well spotted. There was this thing… I used up six of my regenerations in one go saving Mum. Then bam, blonde. It's like being punished twice; first losing my regenerations and then this!"

Jack chuckled, the situation finally sinking in. Then he hugged me tightly. "It suits you!"

"Thanks. I think!" I laughed, hugging him back.

"Jack?" Gwen called as several pairs of feet thundered down the steps to the vaults. She, Owen and Tosh appeared, looking concerned. "What's going on?"

"It's Evie!" Jack told them with a chuckle, keeping one arm clamped around me as we turned to face them. I gave a curtsey and smirked. "She regenerated."

"Why didn't you just say!" Gwen demanded, hugging me.

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked her, laughing. "Now… I think I'm owed a pizza at the very least, don't you?"

"As long as you NEVER tell your parents about…" Jack started, motioning his head towards the vault. I assumed he meant him kissing me.

I laughed again and shook my head. "I'm not stupid."


	100. Surprise!

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Surprise!**

_**A/N: OHMIDAYS. I can't believe that this is the 100**__**th**__** chapter! And this is only the 100**__**th**__** chapter because of all you LOVELY people. **_

_**So, to the 500-ish people who are reading this (I know! :D) THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH! To all the people who have favourited and alerted, THANK YOU SO MUCH AS WELL! **_

_**And, to everyone who reviews regularly… you make me so happy! kestra17, Snowy702, Misery Loves Sarah, 1945, nicoleniks94, TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose, Shifuni, Kamy-chan, DoctorWhoGal, Lealu, rockerchick511 and NaviRebel16… thank you! (If I've forgotten to mention you, I'm sorry! Let me know and you can have a special mention in the next chapter! ;P)**_

_**Anyway, on with the chapter. It was written from two prompts:**_

_**kestra17, "About chapter 100th... Would it be about 'New Evie' meeting the Doctor. I don't even know if the Doctor knows River is still alive. If he doesn't, he's in for a big shock. I would pay to see it." **_

_**TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose, "Can we see the Doctor's reaction to NewEvie and not-dead River?"**_

_**So here it is! Hope you enjoy it!**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 35

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: June 2033

* * *

><p>"So Jack actually kissed you?" Gran laughed, leaning against the counters and holding her mug of tea in both hands.<p>

I nodded, swallowing my mouthful of liquid before I joined in her laughter. "Yeah! He had absolutely no idea who I was. When he realised I thought he was going to faint!"

"That is so typically Jack." Mum snapped, slamming her empty mug down on the counter and folding her arms.

Gran and I exchanged a look and hastily draining her mug, Gran put it into the sink. She picked up her jacket from the back of the chair and announced that she had to go. I smiled as she headed through the backdoor, closing it with a click.

"Mum… what's up?" I asked gently, turning to face her. She was almost glaring at me.

"What about Donna?" She demanded. "Doesn't he think about how these things affect her?"

"Jack hadn't met Donna at that point." I reminded her. "Owen and Tosh were still alive."

"That's not the point. He never changes!"

I was a little confused, but decided to try and change the subject. I thought Mum and Jack had got over whatever had happened between them a long time ago, but obviously I was wrong. Either that or I should have kept my word to Jack and not told her.

"Right…" I jumped onto the counter, swinging my legs absentmindedly and taking another sip of my drink. "So, Professor Song, what are we going to do today? Any exciting old pots to discover?"

"Not today."

"Then what are we going to do?"

Mum smiled and came to stand in front of me, fiddling with my hair. "Today, darling daughter, we're going to curl up on the sofa and watch films and eat crap and giggle. A lot. OK?"

"Sounds perfect." I told her with a big grin.

x-x

"_He's all right, I suppose, if you like dark, handsome, rich-looking men with passionate natures and too many teeth._" The actor on the screen was saying.

"Oh, I definitely do." I said with a wink. "That's why I let Jack kiss me."

Mum threw her cushion at me and I laughed, throwing it back. Then Mum picked up the remote and turned the film off, pulling me over to cuddle into her side like I used to do when I was a child.

"D'you know what my favourite quote in that whole film is?" She asked me after a couple of moments.

I thought and then grinned. "Is it, '_don't take me home until I'm drunk - very drunk indeed_'?"

"'_It's better to look at the sky than live there. Such an empty place; so vague. Just a country where the thunder goes and things disappear.'_" She quoted, almost dreamily.

"Right…"

"It reminds me of your father." Mum continued, ignoring the slightly bemused face I was pulling.

"What, the vague part?" I joked, earning myself a light smack on the arm.

"No! It's just… he could be out there anywhere in the whole universe, just like the thunder–"

"What? Making a lot of noise?" I cut in, receiving a second smack.

"Stop interrupting!"

I shrugged. "Well, I'm not used to this soppy you."

"I'm not soppy!" She argued, grinning and tickling me.

We stopped laughing abruptly at the sound of someone opening the backdoor. Logically, there was only a short list of people it could be, but for some reason neither of us were thinking logically at that moment. We froze and waited for the intruder to appear in the living room.

The door opened slowly and a figure appeared in the room.

It was Dad.

He looked at us, curled up on the sofa with Mum lying half on top of me. Then he backed into the wall, pointing at us and shouting out in total confusion. I turned to look at Mum, who looked equally bemused by his reaction. Then the truth dawned on us. Obviously this was the version of Dad who didn't know that Mum was alive and I had regenerated.

Mum rolled off me and got to her feet, approaching him quickly.

"Doctor, Doctor, listen!" She tried to calm him.

Instead of her words having a soothing effect, Dad tried to back even further into the wall and pointed between us distractedly. I untangled my legs from underneath me and approached him as well, adding to his confusion.

"Dad, chill!" I ordered firmly. He stopped at once, his mouth falling open as it dawned on him who I was. "Thank you!"

"Evie? River? You're meant to be dead…"

"Oh, thanks." Mum muttered.

"No, you are." He continued, untactful as ever. "You went to the library, didn't you? Evie and Donna ended up in that virtual world and you died saving everyone else."

I grinned and shook my head. "Would I ever let something be that simple, father dearest?"

"Evie proved she was your daughter by giving up five of her regenerations to bring us all out of that world, before using another one to save herself." Mum explained, pulling on Dad's hand and forcing him to sit on the sofa beside her. "She never listens and she can't leave anything alone."

"You've messed up the timelines… again!" He accused me with a serious expression on his face. Then he grinned and kissed Mum. "But I'm so glad you did."

"Gross…" I muttered as they kissed again, crossing the room and forcing them apart so that I could sit between them. Then I grinned. "What d'you think of the new look? Jack likes it…"

Mum slapped me on the arm as Dad looked totally confused. "Ignore her."

"I like it! You look just like–"

"Jenny, I know!" I agreed.

"Hang on... have you ever met some one called Harold Saxon?" Apparently the expression on my face was enough to tell him that I had no idea what he was talking about and he relaxed. "Phew... just being paranoid, I suppose..."

"What are you on about?"

"Nothing... I just didn't recognise you at first… I wondered what in Rasillion's name was going on on the sofa! I have to admit I was a little bit worried… well… not worried exactly…"

Mum and I burst out laughing at the expression on his face and he looked a little put out by our reaction. Then I shook my head and wriggled forwards so that I could stand up. Walking to the living room door, I looked back to see that my parents had already closed the gap between them.

I pulled a face. "I'm going out… let me know when it's safe to come home!"

"Oi!" Mum laughed. "Your father thought I was dead… stay at your grandparents tonight."

"Oh…" I groaned, shaking my head and slamming the door behind me. Their laughter followed me as I headed through the kitchen door and into the back garden, intending to visit Gran and Gramps anyway.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Bonus points for anyone who can tell me what film they were watching ;)**_

_**If you've got any prompts for me, I'm always more than happy to read them and they'll be added to my rapidly expanding list of chapter ideas! :P**_


	101. The Doctor's Worst Nightmare 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Doctor's Worst Nightmare**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter started with a prompt from DoctorWhoGal who said, "Would love it if Evie met The Master and they fell in love. I wonder what The Doctor would do then?" It was also partly inspired by watching LOTS of episodes of Spooks!**_

_**And, hello to jimthefishisaninnuendo and AmyPondLikeANameInAFairyTale ! :)**_

_**Oh, one more thing before I shut up and let you get on with reading. If any of you lovely people out there can draw, which I'm sure you can, I'd love to see your impression of what Evie looks like – either the first or second regeneration.**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 38

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: March 2008

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie was sitting in the chair at her desk in the Torchwood Three Hub waiting for Gwen and the others to come back from their latest Weevil hunt. Since Jack's disappearance, Gwen had taken over as Head of the team and Evie had been given more important tasks to do. Jack was far too overprotective, whereas Gwen was willing to give her a chance.<strong>_

_**Sometimes Evie wondered whether that was a good thing. Her recklessness had led to Tom's death a couple of months before and since then she'd become more careless and stepped into dangerous situations without a second thought. Whether it was skill or luck, no one was quite sure, but Evie had survived nevertheless.**_

_**She turned the television over to the news and sighed, watching yet another report on the rising star of politics; Harold Saxon. As always he waved and beamed a little bit too enthusiastically at the cameras. With a roll of her eyes, Evie turned it off again and waited for the team to appear.**_

* * *

><p>"Look at this." Tosh called, attracting the whole team's attention and causing us to congregate around her monitor. "Harold Saxon's popularity had rocketed. Something's not quite right here, I'm sure of it."<p>

"Yeah, he's a slimeball, but what's that got to do with us?" I snapped, stalking away and dropping into my chair again. "I doubt there's anything to interest us there. Another smooth-talking politician making a name for himself; it'll all blow over soon."

I saw them exchanging looks, but none of them said anything. They'd learnt to ignore my mood, sympathising with me about Tom's death – although none of them could begin to understand the guilt and grief that filled my heart.

"Actually, Evie… we've noticed increased readings around Saxon's house which could indicate that there's some kind of alien influence –" Tosh started.

"We think he needs investigating." Owen cut in, causing the woman to glare at him. "And you're the best woman for the job."

I snorted. "Me? Why?"

"You said it yourself. Smooth-talking slimeball politician… he's probably got an eye for the ladies so who better than a pretty young secretary to do some digging about." Owen said bluntly.

"You are kidding me?" I demanded, raising an eyebrow. "You want me to go in there and flirt until I find something else."

"If that's all it takes… I've heard he's a sucker for blondes." Owen said, waggling his eyebrows meaningfully. I threw a stapler at him, which he ducked just in time to avoid a direct hit to the head.

"That's NOT why we think you're the best for the job, Evie." Gwen told me quickly, smacking Owen as she passed and coming to perch on my desk. "Well, it is partly, but not the way Owen put it. It is very likely that he'll be attracted to you; which as you know is the easiest way to get people to trust you enough to talk. But you've also got the best knowledge of alien tech and you know, we thought you might be up for it."

I thought for a moment. "Alright, what's the plan?"

They were all obviously very excited about this operation. Torchwood didn't usually do undercover, but they were going all out on this one. Gwen had hacked Government databases and created a whole new identity for me, which included a detailed past and family history.

"Olivia Miller, twenty-four, only child of Robert and Verity Miller. Both your parents died in a car crash when you were fifteen, leaving you to live with your elderly grandmother until her death two years ago." Ianto said, handing me a sheet of paper with my new biography written on it.

"Why Miller?" I asked suddenly, the name ringing bells in my mind.

He shrugged. "As good a name as any, isn't it?"

"He saw it in a newspaper while he was writing this." Owen informed me in a loud whisper. Ianto glared at him.

"Never mind that." He muttered. "You left school at sixteen and got a job as a secretary for a local politician. When your grandmother died you decided to move to London and got a job as a personal assistant to a high court judge–"

"Do they have PAs?" I asked, unconvinced.

"This one did, as your references will attest." Ianto stated firmly, clearly getting annoyed by the interruptions. "Then the position of PA to Saxon came up and it was too good not to go for."

"How can you be sure I'll get it?"

"That's all sorted. We've rigged up the vents to pump Traxalorian Gas into the board room just before your interview. You'll be able to walk in, announce that you should get the job and you will." Gwen said with a grin. "Don't question the plan, just go with it."

"OK… but I still don't know exactly what I'm looking for." I pointed out. The rest of the team looked back at me, slightly shiftily.

"Neither do we… but we have confidence in you, Evie."

x-x

The next morning I walked up to the offices in the middle of London which had been transformed into Saxon Headquarters, took a deep breath and walked inside with my head held high. After flashing my new, fake ID at the receptionist – Gwen convinced me to use the IDs that she and Ianto had falsified, rather than the psychic card Dad gave me – I was shown into a large room with a long polished table in the centre. At the other end sat several middle-aged men in pinstriped suits. From the slightly blank expressions on their faces I guessed that the Traxalorian Gas had done its job.

"Hello, my name is Olivia Miller. I'm Mr Saxon's new PA." I told them confidently, not even bothering to sit in the chair on the opposite side of the table from them. "Where's my desk?"

"Yes… Miss… Miller?" One of the men said with a stupid smile on his face. "Quite… Mr Saxon's new PA. Lovely."

"My desk?"

"Third door on the right, second left." Another of the men told me, pointing at a door at the other end of the room from the door I'd originally walked through.

I nodded, raised an eyebrow and headed towards it, hearing high-pitched giggles erupting from the men behind me. Making a mental note to tell Gwen she'd overdone the Gas, I went through the door and found myself in a long corridor. I took the third door on the right, finding myself in another corridor and opened the second door on the left. The name on the door read 'Harold Saxon'.

Smirking to myself I dropped my bag on the desk and began arranging my things, mentally preparing myself for my new role.

"You must be Miss Miller." A male voice inquired a while later and I glanced up from the paper I'd been examining.

"Yes, sir, Olivia Miller; your new PA." I said with a smile. "Pleased to meet you."

I noticed the way his eyes raked up and down me appreciatively and clenched my jaw, deciding not to tell Owen.

"Likewise." He nodded with a wide, toothy smile. "Shall we have a little chat… get better acquainted? We are going to be spending a lot of time together, after all."

"Lovely." I agreed, forcing a smile.

Saxon motioned towards his office and I stood up, tidying the papers on my desk carefully and pushing the blueprints of the building, which I'd acquired from the cabinet in the security office, underneath everything else.

"So, Olivia… not married then?" He asked as he indicated that I should sit on the sofa beside him. I was slightly taken aback by the directness of his questioning and also a little uncomfortable that Owen might have been right in his prediction of the lengths I'd have to go to on this operation. "Obviously… no ring."

"No, sir. Not married… my… my boyfriend died two months ago." I told him, forgetting for a moment that I was supposed to be undercover.

"I'm sorry." He said, unconvincingly.

There was nothing sincere about the apologetic look on his face, either. I should have been angry, or annoyed at least, but I found that I wasn't. There was something about Harold Saxon that confused me. It was like I was drawn to him, like a moth to a flame, but I was also deeply disturbed by him and wanted to get as far away as possible.

From the look on his face he was uneasy about our proximity as well. Clearly he was unused to feeling like that, as he stood up and increased the distance between us, sitting behind his desk and shuffling some papers.

"Thank you, Miss Miller." He said in a business-like tone. "I have some phone calls to make."

I nodded and left the room as quickly as possible, almost running across the lobby as soon as I'd closed his office door and dropping into the seat behind my desk. For a long time I just sat and stared at the computer screen in front of me, trying to place the reason for my unease. My first thought was that it was because he was coming on too strong. Then I dismissed that, reminding myself that I'd been in far worse situations plenty of times and not reacted like that. That also wouldn't explain why he'd reacted so oddly.


	102. The Doctor's Worst Nightmare 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Doctor's Worst Nightmare**

A buzzing noise broke through my thoughts and I fumbled to answer my mobile.

"Hello?"

"Evie? It's Gwen." She said unnecessarily.

"I know."

"How's it going? Have you seen him yet, the great Harold Saxon?" She asked. Wondering whether to tell her about the odd feeling I got from him, I hesitated. "Evie? What's wrong?"

"Nothing… nothing." I told her firmly, making up my mind. "I'm just not used to all this office stuff… I'll have to ask Donna for tips."

"… Who?" Gwen asked, sounding confused.

I mentally kicked myself. "Don't worry, too early for you. Listen," I glanced up at the sound of Saxon's office door opening. "I've got to go, Jo… I'll speak to you later."

"Olivia? The Minister for Education is popping in in ten minutes. We'll have coffee… black with two sugars for him, white and no sugar for me."

"Yes, sir." I nodded, glancing at him and seeing that he was looking at me curiously. He opened his mouth as though he was about to speak and then changed his mind. "Was there anything else?"

"N– Yes. No." He stopped, looking totally bewildered. "You're not… there's no chance you're… no."

He shook his head and retreated back into his office. I furrowed my eyebrows and leant back in my chair, considering his strange behaviour and deciding that I should probably tell Gwen when I went back to the Hub after work.

x-x

Time flew by and soon I'd been working for Harold Saxon for nearly two months. The more time we spent together, the less strange the atmosphere became. He stopped leering at me and I soon realised that I enjoyed his attention, rather than finding it annoying.

Gwen and the rest of the team were getting uneasy about the operation, I could tell. They kept trying to convince me to drop out. We hadn't managed to discover anything about him and they decided that it was a waste of time. I was reluctant to agree however, mainly because the main reason we hadn't discovered anything was because I'd stopped looking. I didn't want to believe Harold Saxon was anything other than a man.

Two weeks before the election, which I was sure he would win, he perched on my desk. I glanced up from the draft of his speech I was working late to finish and smiled, resting my elbows on the surface.

"Dinner?" He asked.

"Sure." I agreed immediately.

He waited while I got my coat and bag and escorted me out, his hand on the small of my back. On the street, he hailed a cab, gave the address and we got in. For a couple of moment neither of us said anything. I breathed deeply, feeling the familiar sense of displacement creeping over me. Whenever we were in close proximity like this I felt unsettled, as though something was wrong. It was almost like the feeling you get when holding the same end of two magnets together; the strong repelling force between identical poles.

"Harry…" I started, but got no further when his hands cupped my face and he kissed me.

For a moment I felt as though all the breath had been knocked from my lungs. My head felt as though it was spinning and if I hadn't been sitting down I'd probably have fallen down. He drew back slightly, staring at me in astonishment for a moment. Then he kissed me again, one hand on my hip and the other tangling in my hair. I kissed him back without reservation.

"Shall we forget dinner?" He murmured.

I nodded.

x-x

"Evie Song where the HELL are you?" Gwen's voice was demanding through my mobile. I'd woken up to seventeen missed calls and twelve answerphone messages from her. She wasn't best pleased that I seemed to have gone AWOL.

With a sigh I turned off my phone and dropped it on the floor beside the bed, rolling over and stretching. My eye fell on a folded piece of paper on the pillow next to my head and I propped myself up on my elbows to read it.

'Gone to the office. Take the day off. I'll be back later. Harry.'

I smiled and bit my bottom lip as I re-read it. Then I swung my legs out of bed, wrapping the sheet around me as I stood up and moved to the window, opening the curtains. It looked like a beautiful day. In the good mood I was in I decided to ring Gwen and deal with the consequences of my actions sooner rather than later.

"Where the hell have you been?" She demanded, answering after the second ring. "Get back here, now. I'm pulling this operation."

"I don't care." I told her. "I'm in love."

There was silence.

"What?" She demanded after a couple of minutes where she'd obviously been trying to process my words.

"I'm in love, Gwen. Actual, proper, grown up love."

In a voice that gave away that she could guess the answer, Gwen asked the obvious question. "With who?"

"Harry. He's… wonderful."

"Are you on drugs?" Gwen demanded.

I giggled. "No!"

"Are you sure? Evie… you don't sound like you."

"I am me." I sighed. "I'm happy, Gwen."

x-x

Gwen was as good as her word and pulled the plug on the operation. I refused to leave, however. On the day he won the election, I moved into 10 Downing Street with Harry and I couldn't have been happier.

Torchwood was not happy. They were constantly trying to get me to leave, turning up on the doorstep and pleading with me to see sense. They even threatened to contact my father. I refused every time and in the end they left me alone; although I knew they were keeping an eye on me.

"_This country has been sick._" Harry announced during an interview just after his election as Prime Minister. "_This country needs healing. This country needs medicine. In fact, I'd go so far as to say, that what this country really needs, right now, is a doctor._"

On the stair case behind him, I jumped, startled at his words. There was no time for me to think about them, however, as he reached behind him and took my hand, pulling me down the steps and through the crowd of interviewers to our car which was waiting beyond. As soon as we were settled in the back, he kissed me passionately.

"Isn't it wonderful!" He announced a while later when we broke apart. "The feeling of power! We can do whatever we want, Liv!"

I nodded, smiling at him. He was beaming, an almost manic glint in his eye. He kissed me again and, before I knew it, the car had drawn up outside our house and we were ushered through the doors of number 10.

Inside we were greeted by a long line of people handing him documents and wanting information. I followed, slightly lost, as Harry seemed to be thoroughly enjoying himself. He collected the red wallets and held them tightly, stopping just before the door to the cabinet room.

"Harry, I…" I started as he turned to look at me. He grinned. "I'm so proud."

He cupped my face and kissed me, before turning back to the door.

"_Sir!_" A voice called and I followed the direction it had come from, seeing a pretty young woman approaching. "_If you don't mind me asking, I'm sorry, but it's all a bit new… what exactly d'you want me to do?_"

"_Oh yes, what was it?_"

"_Tish._" She said quickly. "_Letitia Jones, Sir._"

I only just managed to hold in a gasp. I knew that name. Martha's sister was called Tish Jones… and she looked remarkably like the young woman standing in front of me now. I looked her up and down warily, wondering why recognising Tish had suddenly made me feel so uneasy. It had to be a coincidence. Then again, I wasn't big on coincidences after everything I'd seen and done.

"_Tish? Well then, Tish… you just stand there and look gorgeous._" Harry told her, putting his index finger under her chin to raise it slightly. I forced out a weak laugh of amusement, forbidding my face to display how I really felt about his action.

Then he was gone into the cabinet room and the door closed behind him. I looked around, wondering what I should do. Tish was looking at me, almost apologetically.

"I…" She started, looking embarrassed.

I smiled at her. "Don't worry… that's just Harry. Now… if you've got nothing to do at the moment, fancy keeping me company for a while?"

"Of course." She agreed, looking relieved.

We chatted for a while and Tish revealed that she'd got her job because of a phonecall completely out of the blue. Apparently someone in Harry's team had phoned up and just offered her the position of personal secretary. I smiled, hiding how much more uneasy this information made me feel. Something was definitely wrong here.


	103. The Doctor's Worst Nightmare 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Doctor's Worst Nightmare**

As soon as Tish left and the door was closed, I pulled out my phone and dialled Gwen's number. It went straight to answerphone. I tried again, several times. Each time I just got the recorded message telling me that she was unavailable. The same thing happened with Ianto, Tosh and Owen's phones. In my desperation to reach them, I phoned the direct line to the Torchwood Hub.

"I'm sorry, the team are all away on an operation in the Himalayas and the return date is as yet unconfirmed. If there is an urgent matter requiring our attention, please leave a message." Gwen's voice said, the robotic tone of the answerphone increasing my frustration.

I had no time to work out a plan of action, because the doors to the room I was in were flung open and a blonde woman waving a sheaf of papers at me appeared.

"Miss Miller!" She greeted me warmly. "_Vivien Rook, Sunday Mirror. You've heard of me?_"

"Umm… not really, no. Sorry." I told her, pulling an apologetic face. "Is this important? I'm kind of in the middle of–"

"_Oh, strike while the iron's hot, that's what I say, _Olivia. _Oh, I can call you_ Olivia_, can't I?_" She asked. Then, without waiting for an answer, she continued. "_Now, everyone's talking about Harold Saxon,_ but I was more interested in the woman behind him. _All I need is twenty minutes._"

"Umm… I don't think–"

Vivien looked disappointed. "_Oh… the headline's waiting to print. The power behind the throne._"

"Oh…" I was flattered.

"_Britain's first lady… front page._"

"Well… I suppose twenty minutes can't hurt." I agreed, reluctantly.

She beamed. "_Excellent! Thank you!_" She turned to Tish, handing her her coat. "_Go, go! What was it… oh, Tish! Now you can leave us alone._"

"_No, but… I'm supposed to sit in…_"

"_No, no… it's only a profile piece. You know, hair and clothes and nonsense. There's a good girl._" I mouthed an apology at the young woman and shrugged as Vivien manhandled dazedly her out of the room. "_There you go, that's it._"

"Umm… I don't think…" I started as she closed the door and leant against it.

"Miss Miller… _I have reason to believe that you're in very great danger._" Vivien said, her tone dramatically different as she looked at me. "_All of us, in fact. Not just the country, but the whole world._"

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What d'you mean?"

"_No, I beg of you, hear me out._" She pleaded. I couldn't answer, so she continued. "_Harold Saxon is not who he says he is. I'm sorry, but it's a lie… everything's a lie. All of it… the school days, his degree… even his mother and father, it's all invented. Look… Harold Saxon never went to Cambridge. There was no Harold Saxon. The thing is, it's obvious; the forgery is screaming out. And yet no one can see it. It's as if he's mesmerised the entire world._"

I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, my brain working overtime to understand what I was being told. Instinctively I reached for the glass of water beside me and took a sip. Almost instantly things started to clear in my mind.

"Can you go, please." I ordered.

Vivien ignored me, riffling through her papers. "_Eighteen months ago he became real._" She showed me a picture. "_This is his first honest to God appearance. Just after the downfall of Harriet Jones. And at the exact same time they launched the Archangel Network._"

"That's enough." I snapped. "I don't want to hear anymore of… this."

"_Even now they've said that the cabinet's gone into seclusion. I mean, what does that mean? Seclusion?_"

"I have no idea!"

"_But I've got plenty of research on you._" She informed me, to my horror. I really hoped that Gwen and Ianto's false history would hold up. "Only child, orphaned as a teenager. Went to live with your grandmother. Left school at sixteen to help provide for her. Ambitious, _but essentially harmless. That's why I'm asking you, _Olivia, _I am begging you… if you have seen anything… heard anything… even the slightest thing that would give you cause to doubt him…_"

My brain was whirring almost painfully fast, sifting through memories and snippets of information that had been stored away for use at a later date. "I think…"

"_Yes?_"

"Sometimes I get this strange uneasy feeling… and he…"

"_What? Just tell me sweetheart._" She urged, squeezing my arm.

I looked at her. "You have to go."

"Not until you tell me what's bothering you."

"Please just… go." I said. "I love him."

"_My faithful companion._" Harry said behind me. I looked at my hands, wishing that the woman had taken my warning and left.

"_Mr Saxon._" Vivien breathed, nervously. She stood up and tried to quickly gather up her things in a fluster. "_Prime Minister… I was just having a little joke with poor little_ Olivia… _I didn't mean…_"

"Liv, darling, I need a private word with Mrs Rook, here." Harry said, looking at me. Quietly I nodded and left the room, closing the door behind me guiltily.

x-x

"What's going on, Harry?" I demanded that evening. He held out his arms to me, but I ignored him, folding my arms and leaning against the breakfast bar in our kitchen. "No, Harry… what was she talking about?"

"It was true, Olivia. Or should I call you Evie?"

I gasped. "What?"

"Evie Song, that's your real name, isn't it?" He continued, raising an eyebrow. "And you're no ordinary Human."

"I don't…"

"Haven't you felt it?" Harry asked, standing up and moving to stand in front of me, his hands on my hips. "I know you have. That feeling… like a magnetic field drawing us together and pushing us apart. It's in here." He pointed to his head and then his heart on the left side of his chest. He smirked and moved his hand across his chest to the right. "And in here."

"You… you're… a Time Lord?"

"I am the Master."

"The… The Master?" I repeated weakly.

"And you knew that because you're also from Gallifrey. You are a Time Lady." He said. "I was told that only two of us had survived the Time War. Obviously he was wrong."

My brain not working properly, I needed to ask the question. "He… who?"

"The Doctor." The Master told me, his jaw clenching.

"The… Doctor…" My voice was weak as I repeated his words again.

"But he was wrong and here we are." Harry laughed, cupping my face in his hands and crouching slightly so that he was looking directly into my eyes. "Together we'll be great, Evie."

I nodded and smiled, despite myself. Harry kissed me and led me over to the sofa. I wanted to believe him, I really did. Something told me he was lying but a bigger part of me refused to believe it.

"The Master…" I said at last. "Why the Master?"

He grinned. "Why not? I am the Master. I will be the Master. What's your name?"

"I… I don't know." I admitted. "I'm just Evie."

"I'm sure I can think of a few names for you." He murmured, leaning in to kiss my neck. "In the morning all this will be over, decided once and for all. But for now…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hi lovelies! I'm ATTEMPTING to upload one chapter of this multi-part chapter every night... although it's my last week of placement (yesss!) so things are a little busy! I was just going for a Torchwood Children of Earth one-a-day thing :P And I'm also quite excited about these chapters! :D**_

_**Hope you're enjoying - thanks for all the reviews and hello to the new people alerting and favouriting! :D**_

_**x**_


	104. The Doctor's Worst Nightmare 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Doctor's Worst Nightmare**

"Welcome, my love, to the Valiant!" Harry announced the next morning. He held his arms aloft as we walked along the entirely metal corridor on the space ship that was hidden high in the sky above Earth.

"It's… wow!" I said, grinning as he gathered me in his arms and kissed me.

"Ahem…" Someone cleared their throat behind us and Harry let go, turning around to see who had spoken. "The President is waiting, Sir."

"Let him wait." Harry declared, kissing me again.

I giggled and batted him away. "Go on!"

He grinned and led me into a large board room. "_Anything I can do? I could make the tea? Or isn't that American enough? I dunno… I could make grits. What are grits, anyway?_"

"_If you could just sit?_" The President asked.

Harry pulled a face and started to walk away. "_Misery guts._" He smiled at me before pulling out a chair for me to sit at the table. "_What d'you think? It's good, isn't it?_"

"It is." I agreed, sitting and smiling at him.

"_Some of my best work._" He whispered conspiratorially. "_Ministry of Defence. I helped design this place… every detail._"

As he sat in the chair beside mine, he let his hand rest lazily on my thigh and we watched the Americans buzzing around the room with interest. They were busy setting up wires and cables running between cameras and microphones. They were getting ready to broadcast to the World.

"_Two minutes, everyone._" The President announced at last. Harry grinned at me, as excited as a small boy on Christmas Eve. I couldn't help smiling back; it was infectious. "_According to the treaty, all armed personnel are requested to leave the flight deck immediately. Thank you._"

"_Jelly baby?_" Harry offered, talking over the American. I laughed and accepted one, popping the green sweet in my mouth.

"_Broadcasting at 7:58 with the arrival timed at 0800 precisely. And, err, good luck to all of us._" The President continued, looking slightly nervous.

"This is just about to get exciting!" Harry murmured, leaning over and kissing me. "What about… The Siren?"

"Stop trying to name me!" I laughed, pushing his shoulder gently. "It's staring, shh!"

"_My fellow Americans, patriots, people of the world…_" President Winters started. "_I stand before you today as ambassador for humanity, a role I will undertake with utmost solemnity. Perhaps our Toclafane cousins can offer us much, but that is important is not that we gain material benefits, but that we learn to see ourselves anew. For as long as man has looked to the stars, he has wondered what mysteries they hold. Now we know we are not alone…_"

Out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving along the wall of the room. Beside me, Harry tensed slightly and reached out to grab my hand. I glanced at him, arching an eyebrow. In response he shook his head slightly and then he grinned, much to my confusion.

Then I realised why he was grinning. I could hear the voice of my father, low but nevertheless audible from the back of the room. Now it was my turn to tense up.

"_If I can get this __around the Master's neck… cancel out his perception, they'll see him for real._" Dad was saying. I bit my lip. "_It's just hard to go unnoticed with everyone on red alert. If they stop me…you've got a key._"

"He's wearing a perception filter." Harry whispered to me, amusement in his voice. "Shame it doesn't work on us!"

The voice that answered Dad was the one that almost stopped both my hearts. It was Jack. He would recognise me at once. I couldn't concentrate on anything that President Winters was saying. I barely even registered the arrival of the Toclafane on board the Valiant. My full attention was trained on Dad, Jack and Martha somewhere behind me.

"_You're not the Master?_" One of the Toclafane said accusingly.

"_We like the Mr Master._" Another announced.

"_We don't like you!_" Snapped the third.

President Winters looked nervous. "_I can be master, if you so wish. I will accept mastery over you, if that is God's will._"

"_Man is stupid._"

"_Master is our friend._"

"_Where's my Master? Pretty please!_" The female sounding Toclafane said.

Harry winked at me and then leapt out of his seat. "_Oh, alright then! It's me! Ta-da!_" He leapt in front of the cameras excitedly. "_Sorry. Sorry, I have this effect. People just get obsessed. Is it the smile? Is it the aftershave? Is it the capacity to laugh at myself? I don't know. It's crazy!_"

I couldn't stop myself grinning.

"_Saxon! What are you talkin' about?_" President Winters demanded.

"_I'm taking control, Uncle Sam. Starting with you… kill him._" Harry ordered. One of the Toclafane shot a jet of red light at the President, who exploded with a shout of horror.

There was panic. Harry laughed and clapped his hands like a madman, beckoning me before jumping up the steps and addressing the World over the camera. I moved quickly to stand near him, my hearts thumping in my chest as I caught Jack's eye. His face went white.

"_Now then, peoples of the Earth, please attend carefully._" Harry ordered.

Dad leapt forward, but he was grabbed immediately as Harry ordered his guards to stop him. I took an involuntary step forward, but stopped, seeing the look on Jack's face as I did so.

"_We meet at last, Doctor!_" Harry said with a laugh. "_I love saying that!_"

"_Stop it!_" Dad ordered him furiously. "_Stop it now!_"

"_As if the perception filter's going to work on me. And look… It's the girlie and the freak._" Harry said, pulling out his laser screwdriver. "_Although… I'm not sure which one's which._"

"Harry!" I murmured, almost pleading with him and laying a hand on his arm. It had no effect and he shot Jack directly in the chest with a beam from the screwdriver. I squeezed my eyes closed as my godfather dropped to the floor, relieved that it was Jack he'd shot and not Martha or Dad.

"_Laser screwdriver. Who'd have sonic? And the good thing is, he's not dead for long… I get to kill him again._"

"_Master, just calm down._" Dad ordered. "_Just look at what you're doing, just stop!_"

"Harry…" I said again, putting a hand on his arm and shaking my head slightly.

He glanced at me and took a deep breath, before smiling and nodding. He wrapped an arm around my waist and turned to Dad. "You know you said we were the only ones who survived the Time War? Wrong!" He announced, laughing. "Meet Evie… genuine Time Lady."

I squeezed my eyes closed. This was all going horribly wrong.

Harry pulled me into his arms and kissed me. I let him, glad that Dad didn't know who I was. I felt like I was betraying him the worst possible way. There was a gasping sound from behind us and I realised that Jack must have come back to life.

With a satisfied smirk, Harry turned back to the Doctor. "And now the fun… _Let him go._"

"_It's that sound… the sound in your head._" Dad told him. "_What if I could help?_"

"_Oh, how to shut him up? I know… Memory Lane! Professor Lazarus. Remember him and his genetic manipulation device?_" He taunted Dad. I couldn't bring myself to watch, turning away and closing my eyes. There was nothing I could do. "_Did you think that little Tish got that job merely by coincidence? I've been laying traps for you all this time. And if I can concentrate all that Lazarus technology into one little screwdriver… But, ooh, if I only had the Doctor's biological code. Oh, wait a minute, I do!_" He laughed excitedly and opened a silver case with a dramatic wave of his hands. "_I've got his hand! And if Lazarus made himself younger, what if I reverse it? Another hundred years?_"

The sound was horrific. Harry pointed his screwdriver at Dad and began the aging process. I wanted to stop him, I really did, but I was rooted to the spot. My mouth hung open as I watched in horror. Dad's arms flailed and he cried out.

"Stop!" I ordered when it became too much. Harry glanced at me in slight confusion but raised the laser screwdriver.

Martha crawled to Dad's side as he tried to raise himself up, panting for breath. He was old, a small, balding, white haired old man. I looked away, catching Jack's accusing eyes by mistake. I bit my lip, trying to hide the tears that had sprung to my eyes.

Then I took a step forward, intending to go to him, to make sure he was OK. But then Harry was at my side, a hand on my waist and his mouth beside my ear.

"What are you doing?" He demanded.

I took a breath. "You're losing focus." I told him quickly.

He smiled. "It's a good job I have you, then."


	105. The Doctor's Worst Nightmare 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Doctor's Worst Nightmare**

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><p><em><strong>AN: I'm just warning you now… there's violence in this chapter. Be warned! Also, **__**1945's prompt came in in this chapter, "I**__** remember a chapter where Evie had a phantom pregnancy, when's she actually going to get pregnant?"**_

* * *

><p>Martha was gone, Jack was locked up and Dad was kept as the Master's pet. I could hardly bear the guilt. There was only one thing that kept me going.<p>

Almost a year after the events on the Valiant, I decided that I needed to face Jack once and for all. So far I'd avoided him, but now I couldn't anymore. I needed to talk to him; to explain myself. I couldn't bear the idea that he thought badly of me.

"Jack?" I called, picking my way carefully over the metal ground of the space my godfather was being kept in. Steam made the room unbearably hot, although I didn't feel the right to complain when this had been Jack's home for so many months. "Please?"

"Evie Song…" He sing-songed, his voice edged with a bitter tone. "What brings you down to my lovely surroundings."

"I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't know." I pleaded with him, coming to a stop directly in front of where he was chained up in a star shape. "I honestly didn't."

"But when you did, you did nothing." He accused. "All those people, Evie. You're responsible for their deaths. Your mother was down there… your grandparents. Your father would be so proud."

Tears sprang to me eyes and down my cheeks freely. "You think I don't know that?"

"Then why?"

"I'm pregnant, Jack, can't you tell. Seven months."

There was a shocked silence. "And it's…"

"The Master's baby, yes." I told him, not needing to hear the end of the question. Now I did cry properly, sobbing desperately as I clung to Jack's dirty clothing.

He sighed. "Why?"

"I don't know. There was just something… the first time I met him it was like I was being pulled towards him, like a magnet. I suppose it was the Time Lord-ness attracting me. I've never met another one, apart from Dad and Jenny. I just felt like I belonged with him. But then it was too late. I was under his spell… I'd have done anything for him."

"But now?"

"Now… it's different. He's different. I'm scared, Jack." I pulled off my cardigan and showed him the bruises covering my arms.

"Evie… sweetheart…" Jack's face was contorted with sadness. "You have to help us. We have to stop the Master."

Slowly I nodded, resting my hand on my stomach. "I know."

x-x

It had taken a lot of work convincing Martha's parents and Tish that I was on their side. Jack helped and finally they trusted me. It was helped by the fact that the Master had discovered I'd been slipping them extra food and lost his temper. The black eye and bruises I couldn't hide went some way to convincing the Jones' that I wasn't going to betray them. Together, we arranged a rebellion; at three o'clock exactly a year to the day we'd first stepped on board the Valiant.

I stood back and watched as the plan got underway, Dad aiming the laser screwdriver at the Master. To my confusion he just laughed, before plucking the device from Dad's hands.

"_Isomorphic controls._" He informed him, before punching Dad in the face and sending him sprawling to the ground. I winced, but resisted the temptation to run forward. "_Which means they only work for me… like this._" He aimed the screwdriver at Francine, who only just ducked in time. "_Say sorry!_"

"_Sorry!_" She snapped. "_Sorry. Sorry!_"

Tish ran to her as the Master walked down the steps. "_Didn't you learn anything from the blessed Saint Martha?_" He glanced at me and I moved to his side, helping him on with his jacket. He grasped my chin painfully and hissed in my ear. "I hope you didn't know anything about this little rebellion?" I shook my head quickly, a protective hand on my stomach. He smirked and dropped my face, turning to the others. "_Siding with the Doctor is a very dangerous thing to do. Take them away._"

I stood by as Tish and Francine were led away and the Master hoisted Dad into a chair. I shot the two women apologetic looks as they went and they managed weak smiles in return.

"_OK… Gotcha. There you go, Gramps._" He said with a grin. "_Oh, do you know, I remember the days when the Doctor, oh, that famous Doctor, was waging a time war; battling Sea Devils and Axons. He sealed the rift at the Medusa Cascade single-handed. Ooh! And look at him now; stealing screwdrivers. How did he ever come to this? Oh yeah. Me!_"

"_I just… need you… to listen…_" Dad ground out, gasping for breath. I closed my eyes, holding back the tears.

"_No!_" The Master told him firmly. "_It's my turn. Revenge! Best served hot! And this time… it's a message for Miss Jones!_" He turned on the spot excitedly, walking towards the broadcasting equipment. "Are the cameras ready? Good… _My people! Salutations on this, the eve of war… lovely woman. But I know there's all sorts of whispers down there.__Stories of a child, walking the Earth, giving you hope__._" He moved to stand beside Dad so that they were both on screen. "_But I ask you…how much hope has this man got? Say hello, Gandalf. Except he's not __that __old but he's an alien with a much greater lifespan than you stunted, little apes. What if it showed? What if I suspend your capacity to regenerate? All 900 years of your life, Doctor. What if we could see them?_"

"No!" I gasped, clutching at him. "Don't. Please!"

He pushed me aside roughly and I almost stumbled, crying out as I tried to protect my stomach. The Master aimed the screwdriver at Dad once more and the writhing and cries of pain made me gasp.

"_Older and older and older. Down you go, Doctor__. __Down, down, down you go. Doctor._"

He stopped and walked towards the pile of clothes on the floor. My hearts almost stopped as there was no response. Even the Master looked concerned as he glanced towards me. He bent down as a tiny, wizened creature emerged from the fabric. I pressed my hands over my mouth in horror.

The Master smiled and moved to the camera. "_Received and understood, Miss Jones?_"

As soon as the cameras were switched off, the Master ordered that the Doctor be put in a cage and kept on display. Then he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me out of the room. He kept his firm grip on my arm until we were safely in our bedroom.

"Never embarrass me like that on television again." He roared, bringing up his hand and hitting me across the cheek. I fell backwards on the bed, raising my hand to me cheek, which felt as though it was on fire. "Understand."

I nodded as he pinned me down, his eyes moving up my body. I closed my eyes as his lips found my neck, relieved that it was just the one slap he'd given me this time. He was obviously satisfied with the outcome of his little display.

x-x

"_Tomorrow, they launch._" The Master announced as we walked back into the room where the Doctor was being held in a cage. He kept an arm firmly around me as we moved. "_We're opening up a rift in the Braccatolian space. They won't see us coming. Kinda scary!_"

"_Then stop._" Dad suggested as I slumped wearily into one of the chairs at the table, a hand on my stomach.

"_Once the empire is established and there's a new Gallifrey in the heavens, maybe then… it stops. The drumming… the never-ending drumbeat._" The Master bent close to the cage. "_Ever since I was a child… I looked into the vortex. That's when it chose me, the drumming; the call to war. Can't you hear it? Listen, it's there now… right now. Tell me you can hear it, Doctor. Tell me._"

Dad grasped the bars of his cage. "_It's only you._"

"_Good._"

I turned as the doors opened and one of the Toclafane entered the room, floating above me.

"_Tomorrow the war… tomorrow we rise, never to fall._"

"_You see?_" The Master announced with an air of benevolence. "_I'm doing it for them! You should be grateful! After all, you love them. So very, very much._"

"But why?" The Doctor asked as the Master dropped into a chair. I stood up and moved around the table, but he caught my arm and pulled me down to sit with him.

"_It's all your fault._ The end of the Human race. _You should have seen it, Doctor. Furnaces, burning, the last of humanity screaming at the dark. All that human invention that had sustained them across the eons, it all turned inwards; they cannibalised themselves._"

"_We made ourselves so pretty._" The Toclafane announced proudly.

"_Regressing into children. But it didn't work; the universe was collapsing around them._"

"And then the Paradox Machine…" I said, almost in a whisper. It was genius, but so wrong at the same time.

"_My masterpiece, Doctor." _The Master told him proudly, a satisfied smirk twisting his features._ "A living TARDIS; strong enough to hold the paradox in place… allowing the past and the future to collide in infinite majesty."_

Dad shook his head, horrified. "_But you're changing history. Not just Earth, the entire universe._"

"_I'm a Time Lord. I have that right._"

"_But even then, why come all this way just to destroy?_"

"_We've come backwards in time to build a brand new empire lasting 100 trillion years._" The Toclofane told him.

"_With me as their master; Time Lord and humans combined. Haven't you always dreamt of that, Doctor?_" He laughed and stood up, pushing me aside as he moved to stand in front of the Doctor. "_Human race; greatest monster of them all. Night, then._"


	106. The Doctor's Worst Nightmare 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Doctor's Worst Nightmare**

When I woke up the next morning, the Master was gone. If anything I was relieved. As I rolled over, the cheek he had fractured the evening before twinged slightly, but a quick examination indicated that it had healed perfectly well. No doubt there was a bruise, but it would heal in time.

The door opened and the Master stood in the doorway looking at me. "Get dressed."

He left straight away and I sighed, wondering how many bruises would be added to the collection today. He seemed to be in a bad mood, which was strange seeing as today was the day his plan came together once and for all.

Once I'd dressed, making sure he wouldn't have any reason to be annoyed at my choice of outfit, I headed for the meeting room. To my annoyance I was accompanied by two soldiers, who flanked me through the corridors and escorted me to a seat at the table.

"Our guest of honour will be arriving shortly." The Master announced, beaming. He took me by the hand and kissed it gently, before wrapping me in his arms and kissing me passionately. I wondered why his mood had changed so rapidly. "Come…"

I allowed him to lead me past the Jones family and up the staircase, where I leant against the railings. I looked at Jack, who smiled weakly and winked, attempting to cheer me up. I couldn't miss his eyes raking over my body and the fresh injuries that hadn't been there when I last spoke to him.

The doors opened and Martha was ushered in. Slowly she approached, looking at the faces of her friends and family sadly. At her presence, Dad seemed to stand taller in his cage.

"_Your teleport device, in case you thought I'd forgotten._" The Master demanded, holding out his hand. Martha reached into the pocket of her trousers and took out Jack's Vortex Manipulator, throwing it to him. "_And now… kneel. Down below, the fleet is ready to launch. Two hundred thousand ships set to burn across the universe__.__ Are we ready?_"

"_The fleet awaits your signal. Rejoice!_" Came a voice over the speaker system.

"_Three minutes to align the black hole converters. Counting down! I never could resist a ticking clock. My children, are you ready?_"

"_We will fly and blaze and slice! We will fly and blaze and slice!_" The Toclofane chorused.

"_At zero, to mark this day, the child, Martha Jones, will die. Ha, my first blood. Ha, any last words?_" He paused and then smirked."_No? __Such__ a disappointment, this one. Days of old, Doctor, you had companions who could absorb the time vortex. This one's useless! Bow your head. And so it falls to me, the Master of all, to establish from this day, a new order of Time Lords! From this day forward–_" He stopped as Martha started to laugh. "_What? What's so funny?_"

"_A gun?_" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"_What about it?_"

"_A gun in four parts?_"

"_Yes, and I destroyed it._"

"_A gun in four parts scattered across the world? I mean, come on. Did you __really__ believe that?_" Martha asked, as though she couldn't believe he could be that stupid. I smirked.

"_What do you mean?_" The Master demanded, confused. He turned to look at me. "You said you'd heard of it."

"Maybe I got it wrong." I replied with a shrug.

Dad shook his head. "_As if I would ask her to kill._"

"_Oh, well, it doesn't matter. I've got her exactly where I want her._"

"_But I knew what Professor Docherty would do._" Martha told him. "_The Resistance knew about her son. I told her about the gun, so she'd get me here. At the right time."_

"_Oh, but you're still gonna die!_"

"_Don't you wanna know what I was doing? Travelling the world?_"

The Master pretended not to care, but I could tell he was desperate to know. "_Tell me._"

"_I told a story, that's all. No weapons, just words. I did just what the Doctor said. I went across the continents all on my own. And everywhere I went, I found the people and I told them my story._" Martha explained calmly. "_I told them about the Doctor. __And I told them to pass it on, to spread the word so that everyone would know about the Doctor._"

"_Faith and hope?_" He chuckled. "_Is that all?_"

"_No, 'cause I gave them an instruction, just as the Doctor said._" Martha informed him, standing up. "_I told them that if everyone thinks of one word, at one specific time—_"

"_Nothing will happen! Is that your weapon? Prayer?_"

"_Right across the world… One word, just one thought, at one moment… but with 15 satellites!_"

"_What?_" The Master demanded, looking up. I breathed deeply, a smile forming over my lips as I realised what was going to happen.

Jack smirked. "_The Archangel Network._"

"_A telepathic field binding the whole human race together, with all of them – every single person on Earth – thinking the same thing at the same time. And that word… is Doctor._" Martha told him with satisfaction as the countdown reached zero.

In his cage, Dad started to glow; silver particles moving around him as the effects of the biological tampering the Master had done were reversed. I laughed with relief.

"_Stop it._" The Master ordered helplessly. "_No, no, no, no, you don't!_"

"_Doctor._" Jack and Francine chanted together, their eyes closed tightly.

"_Do– Stop this right now!_" He ordered again, more desperately. "_Stop it!_"

"_Doctor._" People chanted all around the world, the pictures being beamed on board the Valiant via the broadcasting equipment.

"_Doctor._" Everyone in the room chanted, their eyes closed tight.

I smirked. "_Doctor._"

"_I've had a whole year to tune myself into the psychic network and integrate with its matrices._" Dad told the Master, standing up tall as the light continued to swirl around him. He was almost back to his old self.

"_I order you to stop!_" The Master was getting desperate now.

"_Doctor._" I reapeated.

"_The one thing you can't do: stop them thinking._" Dad said, back to normal. I laughed happily as he began to rise in the air. "_Tell me the human race is degenerate now when they can do this._"

The Master sent bursts of laser energy at Dad from his screwdriver. They bounced off the light surrounding him harmlessly. "_No!_"

"_I'm sorry. I'm so sorry._"

"_Then I'll kill them!_" He threatened, aiming the screwdriver at the Jones family. Dad knocked the device out of his hand with a blast of energy. "_You can't do this! You can't do– It's not fair!_"

"_And you know what happens now._"

"_No! No! No! No!_" He backed away as Dad moved towards him through the air.

"_You wouldn't listen._"

"_No!_"

"_Because you know what I'm going to say._"

"_No!_"

Dad crouched down beside the Master and held him in his arms in a tight hug. "_I forgive you._"

"_My children!_"

"_Captain!_" Dad shouted, realising what the Master meant. "_The Paradox machine!_"

Jack and several of the guards rushed off towards the TARDIS to break the connections. Dad whirled round in time to see the Master pull out the Vortex Manipulator and activate it. With a cry, he launched himself at the other man and they both vanished.

"_We've got all 6 billion spheres heading right for us!_" Martha shouted, panicked, as she leapt towards the controls. I moved to her side, flipping switches.

"There's nothing we can do…" I told her, biting my lip. "We've got to rely on Jack and the Doctor now."

Just as the spheres were about to reach us, they seemed to dissolve, vanishing into nothing. There was an almighty jolt and we were thrown around. I managed to sit in the control seat, rather than crashing to the ground, holding on tightly.

"_Everyone get down!_" Dad shouted, appearing from nowhere. "_Time is reversing!_"


	107. The Doctor's Worst Nightmare 7

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Doctor's Worst Nightmare**

Finally the turbulence stopped and we all climbed shakily to our feet.

"_The paradox is broken. We've reverted back, one year and one day. Two minutes past 8:00 in the morning._" Dad announced, checking the controls.

"_This is UNIT Central. What's happened up there? We just saw the President assassinated!_" A voice demanded all around us.

"_You see? Just after the President was killed, but just before the spheres arrived. Everything back to normal. Planet Earth restored. None of it happened. The rockets, the terror; it never was._"

"_What about the spheres?_" Martha asked from the floor.

Dad sighed. "_Trapped at the end of the universe._"

"_But I remember it._" Francine said slowly.

"_We're at the eye of the storm._" Dad explained. "_The only ones who'll ever know. Oh, hello!_" He said, spotting Martha's Dad."_You must be Mr Jones! We haven't actually met._"

In the distraction, the Master ran for the door. Unluckily for him, Jack opened it at precisely the moment the Master reached it, causing him to run straight into the man's arms.

"_Whoa, big fella! You don't want to miss the party. Cuffs__. __So, what do we do with this one?_"

"_We kill him._" Clive suggested at the same moment Tish said, "_We execute him._"

"_No, that's not the solution._" Dad told them firmly. "_You're my responsibility from now on. The only Time Lord left in existence._" I cleared my throat in annoyance, then changed my mind. It was better that Dad forgot what the Master had told him about me.

"_Yeah, but you can't trust him._" Jack pointed out, crossing to mutter the words into Dad's ear.

"_No._" He agreed. "_The only safe place for him is the TARDIS._"

"_You mean you're just gonna… keep me?_" The Master asked, disgusted by the idea.

Dad nodded. "_Hmm. If that's what I have to do. It's time to change._" He turned away from the Master to face Jack. "_Maybe I've been wandering for too long. Now I'll have someone to care for._"

While Dad was talking, I watched the Master carefully. He glanced at me, our eyes meeting and I felt a dull pain in my hearts. He smiled weakly; a different smile to the ones he'd been giving me recently, a genuine smile. It reminded me of when we'd first met. Of when I fell in love with him.

"Do it." He mouthed, looking at the gun on the ground beside me. I shook my head, the idea filling me with horror. I couldn't kill him; whatever he'd done, I couldn't help loving him. "For me."

Closing my eyes I bent down and scooped up the gun. I cocked it and pulled the trigger, my hearts shattering as the bullet left the gun with a bang. Jack was at my side in a second, one hand on my wrist as he gently eased the gun from my grip. I stared at him, horrified and shook my head. He wrapped me in his arms gently.

"_There you go. I've got you. I've got you._" Dad murmured as he cradled the Master on the ground.

"_Always the women._" He joked with a cough.

"_I didn't see her._"

"_Dying in your arms. Happy now?_"

"_You're not dying, don't be stupid. It's only a bullet. Just regenerate._"

"_No._" The Master refused like a petulant child.

"_One little bullet. Come on._" Dad pleaded with him.

"_I guess you don't know me so well. I refuse._"

My legs turned to jelly and I crumbled. Jack scooped me up into his arms, holding me to him. I couldn't even cry, I was in too much shock. The aching in my hearts was unbelievably painful. I felt like I was dying as well.

"_Regenerate. Just regenerate. Please!_" Dad cried hopelessly. "_Please! Just regenerate! Come on!_"

"_And spend the rest of my life imprisoned with you?_"

Dad gasped with emotion. "_You've got to. Come on. It can't end like this. You and me, all the things we've done. Axons? Remember the Axons? And the Daleks? We're the only two left, there's no one else. Regenerate!_"

"_How about that?_" The Master said, amusement clear in his voice. "_I win. Will it stop, Doctor? The drumming, will it stop?_"

And then he was gone. The pain in my hearts subsided somewhat, but it was still nowhere near bearable. I buried my head in Jack's shoulder as Dad held the Master's body, crying and rocking him in his arms. I let out a sob and Jack hugged me tighter, whispering soothingly in my ear.

x-x

The Doctor had ordered that I be taken away and locked up. Jack had stepped in to take responsibility for doing this, ushering me away. As soon as we were out of the room he teleported me to the Torchwood Hub and left me there while he returned to the Doctor. I didn't know or care what story he used to cover up my disappearance. I was too numb.

When he returned, he gave me different clothes to change into. I couldn't move, so he was forced to help me. I just sat, staring numbly into space. Time passed and I had no concept of how much. It could have been hours, or it could have been days.

"Evie, sweetheart." Jack said finally, crouching in front of me and taking my hands in his. "You have to eat, you've got that baby to think about."

"That's my punishment, isn't it?"

"What d'you mean?"

"The baby… it's gonna be a constant reminder, isn't it." I said, squeezing my eyes closed and fighting back the tears. "Every time I look at it I'll see him and what he… I... what we did."

"Sweetheart. You stopped him."

"I killed him."

"Same thing."

"One day Dad's going to realise, isn't he." I pointed out. "He's going to realise that I stood by, that I chose the Master over him and I did nothing to stop all that happening. He's going to realise that it was me who killed the Master."

"He'll understand."

I snorted. "Will he? Because I sure as hell don't."

"Let's get you home to your Mom." Jack suggested. I looked up at him, my eyes suddenly huge. Jack realised the cause of my sudden alarm and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll explain."

"I can't tell them it's his. I just… can't."

"Fine, then we won't."

"She'll think it's yours." I said. Jack sighed and smiled.

"Then let her. I can think of worse insults than being mistaken for the father of Evie Song's baby."

I smiled weakly. "She'll kill you."

Now it was Jack's turn to smile. He chuckled warmly. "I'll bounce back."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie closed her eyes and lay on the sofa. In the kitchen she could hear River screaming blue murder at Jack, her insults punctuated by crashing china and glass. If the woman hadn't been feeling guilty before, she was definitely feeling guilty now she was letting Jack take the blame.<strong>_

_**She had tried to talk him out of it, suggesting she just tell her mother she didn't know who the father was, but Jack refused to hear of it. Apparently he'd rather be accused of taking advantage of her than let people think she slept around. **_

_**Finally things went quiet in the kitchen and the door opened. River walked in and knelt on the floor beside her daughter's head. She sighed and rested her forehead against Evie's, stroking her hair.**_

"_**Where's Jack?" Evie asked warily.**_

"_**I shot him." Her mother replied, matter of factly, as though she was saying nothing more out of the ordinary than 'he's at work'.**_

"_**It wasn't really…" Evie started, deciding to tell her the truth.**_

"_**Wasn't what?" River asked, sitting up and looking intently at her. **_

_**Evie sighed, unable to say the words. Instead she settled for, "It wasn't his fault." River made a noise in her throat that told her daughter she was totally unconvinced. Suddenly the younger woman realised something. "You always knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"**_

"_**What d'you mean?"**_

"_**The argument you and Jack have been having on and off for as long as I can remember… the way you refused to talk to me for about a month when you found out I'd joined Torchwood. You knew this was going to happen all along."**_

"_**Maybe." River shrugged and stood up, turning to face the fireplace.**_

"_**Why didn't you stop me, then?" Evie asked softly, propping herself up on her elbows.**_

_**Her mother sighed and turned to face her, suddenly looking tired. "Because, Evie, this baby is a fixed point in time; so fixed that it makes your father's death look like a spur of the moment accident. No baby of yours was ever going to be ordinary, was it?"**_


	108. Stowaway

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Stowaway**

Age: 25

Location: Nevastine, Mintaal Peninsula

Date: 3920

* * *

><p>I waved at Donna, before closing the TARDIS doors quickly and jogging up the steps to the console where Dad was waiting, leaning against the controls with his arms folded across his chest, grinning.<p>

"What?" I demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing… Just, you fall into normal everyday life so easily! You know; shopping and going to the park and tea time…" He said chuckling. "Come on… let's have an adventure!"

Grinning, and concluding that this was a very good idea, I leant on the railings around the console platform and grinned. "Plan… where d'you fancy? Somewhere new or somewhere familiar?"

"Oooh! Somewhere new I think!" He decided, flicking switches and turning dials. "What about Shamshoosh? Or the Pitted Vials of Dalagafritch?"

"The whatted whats of where?" I demanded with a giggle. "That last one sounds like a disease! What about Nevastine? We could visit the Clem Carnival? I've heard they do the best Binshoom cake."

"Binshoom cake?" Dad said, looking disgusted.

Nodding vigorously I pulled the scanner towards me as Dad inputted the coordinates. "Yeah! I tried it on Flemfoom. It's delicious!"

"If you say so! But I definitely think we should go to the Carnival. We can pick up your mother afterwards. That should give her enough time to finish her research on the lost civilisation of Brextine."

"Sounded boring to me." I said with a sigh. "A load of old bones and pots and books. I'd much rather look at living things."

"I agree." Dad exclaimed, slamming down his fist on the landing lever. "Come on, let's go and look at some very alive Clem Carnival goers."

"What's Clem?" A small voice asked from somewhere near the doors.

Dad and I looked at each other quickly, going pale at the implications of the voice. Neither of us really wanted to look around the central column to see who was standing by the doors. We had a silent argument, which involved a lot of pointing, prodding and shaking of heads, before Dad pushed me and I stumbled out from behind the console. I shot him a furious look, before turning my attention to the intruder.

"Oh my god…" I muttered, my mouth dropping open in horror. "Dad… we're dead."

He popped his head round the pillar and looked at me nervously. "Why? What is it?"

"Not what… who?"

"Fine." He snapped, rolling his eyes. "WHO is it?"

"Donna is going to murder us."

"Evie!" Dad shouted. "Stop talking in riddles!"

"Hannah." I told him, my gaze flickering from the eight-year-old girl to Dad. "Hans is on the TARDIS."

Dad went white. Hannah, Donna and Jack's youngest daughter, had somehow got on board the TARDIS without us realising. There was no option but to head back to Chiswick and take her home before we lost her… or worse.

"Right… OK… back home I think." Dad said after a second or two.

I glanced towards where she'd been standing seconds before and groaned loudly. "Slight problem with that, Dad."

He turned to look in the direction I was pointed and cried out in frustration. Hannah had vanished and the TARDIS doors were open. Without running any of the basic atmospheric checks, I sprinted after her, throwing myself out of the police box and looking around frantically.

Spotting the small, brunette instantly I raced after her, grabbing her hand and intending to drag her straight back to the TARDIS. I hadn't taken more than two steps when I heard a loud click behind me and a hand on my shoulder. I closed my eyes and groaned, clutching Hannah's hand tightly.

"Turn."

Slowly I did as I was ordered, pulling Hannah close to me.

"You will explain. Females will be accompanied at all times."

"Yeah… about that. We were just leaving." I told the small, armoured figure quickly.

"All residents are required to participate in the Carnival."

"We're not residents." I tried to explain. "Tourists… just passing through. So… we'll be off."

There was another click as the figure charged his weapon.

"You are not accompanied."

"No… no we're not." I agreed, trying to hide my annoyance at the sexist comment. "But that's why we're leaving. Come on, Hash…"

"Mum doesn't like you calling me Hash." Hannah said as I attempted to drag her away from the armoured figure. "She said it reminds her of fish people."

"Fish people… Oh! The Hath." I said with a grin, after a moment's thought. "The Hath are part of the reason why Jenny was born."

"Really?"

"Hasn't she ever told you that?" I asked, surprised. Then I remembered that there was a short, angry alien pointing a gun at us. "Right… listen… you don't want us here, we don't want to BE here. So, why don't we just… leave…?"

"No. You will come with me."

"Really… I think we should just…"

"Now."

I sighed and glanced towards the TARDIS, wondering why Dad wasn't anywhere to be seen. If he just came out of the police box the gun-wielding figure might drop his desire to cart us off to god-knows-where.

"Fine…" I muttered, squeezing Hannah's hand and heading off in the direction the figure was pointing.

We trekked through the streets of a town that seemed oddly deserted for a Carnival day. Hannah chattered nineteen-to-the-dozen, asking all sorts of questions as I held her hand tightly and pulled her with me. She seemed to have inherited both her parents' ability to talk.

"Have you ever killed anyone?" She asked, skipping contentedly beside me and not seemed the least bit bothered that we had no idea where we were being taken and why.

"Maybe…" I answered shiftily, not really wanting to elaborate.

"Is that a yes, or a no?"

"It's a maybe." I repeated.

She narrowed her eyes, looking scarily like Donna. "That's not an answer!"

"It is!"

"You're scared of mummy, aren't you?"

"Who, Donna?" I shook my head quickly. "No! I'm not scared of anyone!"

Hannah giggled. "You are! And you're scared of Nan!"

"OK, I'm scared of Nan. But I am NOT scared of your mum!" I assured her firmly.

"You will be when you take me home and I tell her there was an alien with a gun."

I narrowed my eyes. "You wouldn't."

"I would."

"Yeah, you probably would. But it's Dad's fault. He's the one who abandoned us here."

"Prisoners will stop talking." The figure snapped suddenly, jabbing his weapon into my back.

I rolled my eyes and signalled for Hannah to be quiet by putting my finger on my lips. She nodded, wide-eyed as the gun was pushed more firmly into my spine and I winced. We carried on walking until we reached a large white building in the middle of the town. A large fountain stood outside and a sweeping set of steps led up to the main doors.

We were taken up these steps and through a set of heavy wooden double doors. In front of a large desk the figure stopped and pushed us forward. Another figure behind the desk, this one without a helmet, peered at us.

"These females were walking unaccompanied." The armoured figure said bluntly. "They must be processed."

"What does that mean?" Hannah whispered, but I shushed her quickly, squeezing her hand.

"Name?" The figure behind the desk in a monotone voice. It had a very round head, like a ball, and three big orange eyes. I prodded Hannah in the shoulder to stop her gawping.

"Evie Song."

"And the half-form?"

"She is not a half-form." I snapped, squeezing Hannah's shoulders.

"Name?"

"Hannah Alice Sylvia Harkness."

"You will be taken to holding cell 40291 until your offence has been processed." The figure said, not looking up from the paperwork on the desk in front of it.

"Oh, I don't think that's necessary." A familiar voice said from behind us. I grinned and Hannah broke free of my grip and ran to the Doctor. He scooped her up in a fireman's lift over his shoulder. "I'll just take them with me now."

"That is impossible."

"Nah… just improbable." He argued, holding out his hand. I walked towards him, just as several of the armed figures appeared from the doorways around us.

"Laters!" I called cheerfully as they raised their guns.

In a hail of bullets we dodged through the doorway and into the waiting TARDIS. Dad set the coordinates to take Hannah home and I grinned, leaning against the railings once more. We glanced at each other and then at the little girl sitting happily on the chair by the console, humming and swinging her legs.

We were in so much trouble.


	109. Knocked Out Of Orbit

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Knocked Out of Orbit**

Age: 35

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: June 2013

* * *

><p><em><strong>Evie ducked into a doorway, checking the settings on her laser blaster as she held her breath. Resting her head against the glass of the door for a moment, the young woman gathered herself and then leapt out into the open, aiming her gun straight ahead of her. <strong>_

_**She gasped. **_

_**The creature she'd expected to see jumping towards her, fangs bared and claws reaching out to shred her to pieces was lying on the ground, a pool of toxic looking green blood pooling around it from a wound in the centre of its forehead. **_

_**Looking around frantically, Evie spotted a young woman standing on a street corner about 500 yards away, hands on her hips just watching her. Evie narrowed her eyes, trying to make out who the woman was. **_

_**And then, just like that, the woman vanished.**_

* * *

><p>"Jack!" I snapped, twirling around on the stool beside Gwen's desk. "I'm telling you, there was a woman there. She shot the Henveen, not me."<p>

"Evie… I keep telling _you_, the residue traces match _your_ gun. The shot that killed it was fired by you. Now… please. I've got a massive cover-up operation to handle. Something like that happening in Cardiff City centre…"

"It wasn't me!"

"Evie…" Gwen called from the other side of the Hub. "Donna and I could do with a hand over here."

I growled under my breath and headed over to where the two women were standing together staring at a computer screen. They instinctively parted as I reached them, making a space for me in the middle. I narrowed my eyes as I realised what they were watching; it was the CCTV footage from earlier that day.

I watched as the version of me on the screen hurtled round the corner and dived into the doorway of a shop. The huge, hulking creature that had been following me hesitated, rotating on the spot. All of a sudden the Henveen stopped, a splatter flying from its head before it crashed to the ground. Another figure was clearly visible as I leapt out from my hiding place, gun raised.

"There! Zoom in…" I ordered. Gwen did as I commanded, increasing the picture size so that we could get a closer look at the woman. "Who is that?"

"Jack… here." Donna shouted. At his wife's command, Jack leapt across the room, stopping beside her and sliding a hand around her waist. "Evie's right… she didn't shoot the Henveen."

"So who…?" He stopped suddenly. "Donna, you should get home."

"Why?" She demanded suspiciously, glancing between her husband and the woman on the screen.

"Because, sweetheart, you are seven months pregnant and we have a daughter at home who would love a bedtime story from her mummy." He told her gently, shooting her a meaningful look that I didn't miss. "Evie, why don't you go with her? Zoe'd love you to tuck her in."

"No… I want to know who that is." I argued.

Jack looked as though he was about to speak, but Donna didn't give him the chance to argue. She grabbed hold of my wrist and pressed the button on her Vortex Manipulator. The next moment we were standing in the back garden of Sylvia and Wilf's house.

"Is that good for you?" I demanded, raising an eyebrow and pointing at the Vortex Manipulator.

"It's fine." She replied dryly, knowing that I was annoyed that I'd been taken out of the action. "Come on… let's pick up Zoe and get her home. You can stay at ours and go back to work in the morning with Jack."

I made a noise of grumpy acceptance and followed her through the kitchen door.

x-x

"Who was that Jack, on the CCTV?" I demanded as soon as we arrived back in the Torchwood Hub the next morning.

He sighed and shook his head. "It doesn't matter, Evie. Leave it."

"What? Why? Who was it?"

"No one." He said with an air of finality. "Go and help Gwen with the files."

I sighed and did as I was told. There was no point arguing with Jack when he'd made up his mind about something. Gwen smiled and shrugged as I joined her at the desk and handed me a manila envelope with yesterday's date stamped on it. Carefully I sorted through the papers. They were a mixture of surveillance pictures and doctored news reports.

"Evie? We've got a shout!" Jack called, poking his head around the door of his office. "Another Henveen flashing up on surveillance. Let's go."

Instantly I was on my feet, grabbing my jacket from the back of the chair and joining Jack on the platform that would rise up and take us to the surface. There wasn't a moment to lose as we drove through the streets of the city following the flashing red dot on the tracking system Jack had thrust into my hands as we got in the jeep.

"Next left." I ordered. "Right… it should be…"

"Dead."

I glanced up in confusion at Jack's words. Then I looked past him out of the window and spotted the reason for his word. The creature was lying in a pool of its own blood, obviously completely dead.

"What the…" I opened the door and slid out, walking quickly round the front of the car and staring at the creature on the ground.

A slight movement caught my attention and I looked up just in time to spot a figure vanishing around a corner. Narrowing my eyes I set off after the fleeting shape, ignoring Jack's shouts. I heard his footsteps following me and his voice as he called Gwen and told her what had happened.

Throwing myself round corners I kept the fleeing woman in my sights, slowly gaining on her. Finally I caught up with her and she skidded to a halt, forced to stop in front of a dead end. Slowly she turned; her back pressed to the brick wall that had cut her off.

I gasped. "It's… you…"

"Evie Song." The young woman said slowly, her green-blue eyes sparkling with amusement as she took in the completely confused expression that was no-doubt spreading over my face. "We meet again. How many times is it now? Nine? Ten?"

"Six."

"Six? Is that all?" She asked, raising an eyebrow and shrugging. "Ahh, you're still young. You've regenerated, though, since I saw you last."

I sighed, putting my hands on my hips and fixing her with a serious expression. "Jessica Miller? Who are you? Are you ever going to tell me who you really are?"

"Isn't that the question?" She said with a grin. "But there's something you need to know. The Henveen have fallen through the rift. There was a solar explosion and their planet was knocked out of its orbit. You need to send them back."

We stared at each other for a long time, neither wanting to speak. I wanted to ask her questions, but I knew she wouldn't reply. The sound of Jack's pounding footsteps broke the silence.

"I lost you…" He gasped breathlessly. "Oh…"

I arched an eyebrow. "Yes, Jack, oh."

"Jess…"

"Catch you later, Uncle J." She said and, before I could move, she was gone.

I exhaled sharply. "You have to tell me who she is, Jack. I'm a big girl; I can cope with the information."

Jack didn't look convinced. He held out a hand, which I took, before leading me back towards the jeep. "What did Jessica tell you?"

"Just about the Henveen… their planet was knocked out of orbit and they're falling through the rift." I told him quickly; keen to get back to the more important, in my opinion, information. "Who is she?"

Jack stopped as we reached the jeep. He waited for me to walk round to the passenger side, leaning on the bonnet. Then he took a deep breath, looking at me carefully.

"Jessica Melody Miller… I'll give you two guesses why you chose that name for your first daughter." He said quietly, before getting in the jeep and closing the door, leaving me staring blankly at him.


	110. Who?

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Who?**

* * *

><p><em><strong>This chapter was written from a prompt by <strong>__**1945, who asked for a chapter "where Evie meets a River who hasn't even**__** had Evie yet." **_

_**Hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Also, anyone with any prompts let me know... my list is now very short and, although I have some chapters in my head, I want to know what you guys would want to read! I am writing this for you, after all! :)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 27

Location: Ixon Plentar, Hiitii Constellation

Date: 491 AD

* * *

><p>"So, the ancient Ixon civilisation thrived on the rare plants that grew along that ridge over there." The tour guide explained, pointing to a deep blue length of rock that stood out above the grass plains. "The different parts of the Vinshini plants were used in different ways. The petals were crushed and mixed with the blood of the Tinzi beetle and pollen from the Hizbetus tree to create a medicine that the Ixons believed would heal even the most serious of ailments. The leaves were eaten, often smoked and then roasted. The stems of the Vinshini plants were used as tinder for the fires as they gave off a mildly hallucinogenic smoke that heightened the senses."<p>

I stifled a yawn, waiting for the tour to continue. The only reason I was putting up with the immense boredom was that I'd been told about a secret passageway that led from the main chamber of the Wsutot Caves in the Rysmor Range. While my informant wasn't the most reliable person, or rather Vocci, in the Universe the reward he was going to get if this information turned out to be correct was probably enough to make sure he wasn't crossing me.

"If we continue to the Wsutot Caves…" The guide continued, catching my attention with the mention of the Caves.

I followed eagerly, dropping to the back of the crowd as we moved through the dimly lit caverns. There was an eerie glow around the place, the strange blue light being given off by the roots of the Xinxi bushes that clung to the rock.

My pace slowed even more as we reached the main chamber and the guide started talking about its uses in the time of the great emperors of the Ixon civilisation. Apparently it had been the chamber used in their celebrations; births, marriages and deaths. I stifled another yawn, the guide's tone and the dim light making me incredibly sleepy.

Spotting a large boulder, I slipped down behind it quickly, squeezing myself out of sight and waiting until the party had disappeared further into the caves. I knew that the guide would lead his party out of the other entrance, under the waterfalls. As long as I waited until there was no chance of them hearing me I wouldn't be disturbed.

After ten or fifteen minutes I crawled out of my hiding place and stretched. The cold and damp air had made my joints incredibly stiff and I winced as I rolled my head around, stretching my neck.

Then I went quickly over to the long stretch of rock and pulled out a torch from my utility belt, shining the light over the surface. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and I couldn't see anything that would indicate a secret passageway.

"What are you looking for?" A voice asked bluntly from behind me.

I smirked, recognising it at once. Slowly I turned to face the woman who'd spoken. "Hello…" I quickly raked my eyes over her face to determine where she was on her timeline. With Mum it was always difficult. "Doctor Song. What a pleasant surprise."

"What?" She demanded, narrowing her eyes. Before I could speak, her laser gun was in her hand and pointing directly at me. "Who are you?"

Sighing I held up my hands. Apparently it was too early on her timeline. "Evie."

"Evie who?"

"Spoilers." I told her with a grin.

There was a long silence while she considered me. Obviously my use of her favourite word had done something to convince her that I was someone she could trust. Either that or it was instinctive.

"So, Evie, what are you doing here?"

"I have reason to believe that somewhere on this wall is the entrance to a secret passageway that leads to the tombs of the Ixon Emperors." I told her quickly, not having any reason to hide the information from her. She was my mother, after all.

"Interesting." She murmured, walking slowly along the wall and trailing her hand along it.

There was a click as she hammered her balled fist into a slightly darker patch of rock. Then the ground began to shake, causing dust and small pebbles to fall from the ceiling, raining down on us in the near darkness. I covered my head.

Grabbing my hand, Mum pulled me into the passageway that had just opened as a large rock smashed into the ground where I'd just been standing. Slightly shakily I glanced at it, taking a juddering breath.

"Come on." Mum said expressionlessly.

I followed her without question, the passageway winding through the rock. It was a narrow space, the walls rising high above us on each side. In some places it was so narrow that I was forced to turn sideways and squeeze my way though. We walked in silence, neither of us speaking until the passageway stopped suddenly, the ground falling away below us.

"We'll have to jump." Mum muttered, pointing to a platform about two feet away. She took a breath and leap, landing easily. "OK?"

I nodded and copied her, not landing quite so gracefully, but landing on my feet nevertheless. Then she led the way through a canopy of trailing branches and we found ourselves in a large cavern.

As we crossed the threshold torches lit themselves, blazing in metal brackets fixed around the walls and illuminating the chamber. I gasped, my eyes falling on the piles of ancient treasure. Apparently transfixed by the sight, Mum took a step forward.

As she moved, she must have activated an invisible pressure point because without warning a large shape came hurtling towards her through the air. Without thinking I whipped out my gun and shot it, the jet of green light causing the object to explode into a million pieces. I had no idea what it was, but didn't care.

"Are you alright?" I demanded, grabbing her arm roughly.

"Yes." She snapped and I could tell her was embarrassed that I'd had to save her.

"That's good." I said, raising an eyebrow and moving past her. "Keep your eyes open for more traps."

She grumbled something indistinguishable and sent me a filthy look before beginning to sort through the large chests of artefacts around the chamber. Mum was looking for a mixture of high price and priceless objects; I knew her form. Personally I was more interested in how much money I could make from the things lying around.

"How are you intending to take all that out with you?" Mum asked, making me jump as she came up behind me and the pile of items I was steadily building. I held up a bag but said nothing as I quickly counted gold goblets. "How's it going to fit in there?"

"It's bigger on the inside." I said bluntly. Her face displayed her astonishment and she was obviously seeing me in a new light as she held up her own bag.

"Snap."

"You don't say?" I murmured under my breath grinning.

We both began shovelling items into our bags; however many goods we put into them they hardly seemed to register. Then I stood up, waiting for her to finish. The bag dangled loosely from my hand, swinging slightly as I watched.

"How are you planning to get out of here?" I asked interestedly as she straightened up and attached the bag to her utility belt.

"The way I came in." Mum answered as though it was a stupid question.

I grinned and crossed the space between us. "Put your hand here." I ordered. As she took hold of my wrist, looking confused, I pressed the button on my Vortex Manipulator and transported us to the grass plains outside.

"How…?" She murmured. "A Vortex Manipulator. I've heard of those but never seen one."

Smirking I undid the strap and handed it to her. "Have it… I can get another one."

"What?" She took the device and looked at me suspiciously. "Why?"

"In the future I know you well, Doctor Song. Besides, I've got a lift coming. I don't need it."

Before she could argue, I winked and started off across the plains to the town hidden behind the hill in front of me. A fat droplet of rain hit my nose and I sped up, sprinting towards where the Doctor was supposed to be waiting for me.


	111. Vampire Fish 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Vampire Fish**

Age: 20

Location: Venice, Italy, Earth

Date: 1580 AD

* * *

><p><em><strong>"<strong>**How would you like to come on a little trip?" The Doctor asked as soon as he'd left the TARDIS and walked the short distance to the cell door. With no trouble at all he opened it with the sonic screwdriver and leant against the bars.**_

_**"****Where to?" Evie asked, not that it mattered, she would go anywhere with the Doctor.**_

_**"On holiday****!" Amy shouted from the TARDIS. The young woman grinned at the sound of the red-head's voice and grabbed her jacket.**_

_**"****_I_'m there."**_

_**The Doctor rubbed the back of his neck, slightly shiftily. "There's somewhere we've got to go first."**_

* * *

><p>"You are kidding me." I muttered as I leant against the doorframe to the main room of the pub where Rory's stag night was in full swing.<p>

The Doctor had asked me to keep an eye on Amy while he sorted something out. It was a request that I found incredibly suspicious so, as soon as Amy announced she was going to have a quick shower, I was out of the doors and on his trail. I had arrived just in time to see the Doctor burst out of a cake.

"_Rory!_" He exclaimed excitedly, spotting the young man who was staring at him in horror. "_That's a relief! I thought I'd burst out of the wrong cake… again. That reminds me… there's a girl standing outside in a bikini. Can someone let her in and give her a jumper? Lucy… lovely girl… diabetic._"

There was a shocked silence as everyone tried to understand what was going on. I had to resist the urge to run back to the TARDIS and hide. I closed my eyes and muttered obscenities under my breath, wondering why he did such things.

"_Now then, Rory, we need to talk about your fiancée. She tried to kiss me._" I couldn't help myself snorting with laughter at his words. Then I realised he was serious. "_Tell you what though, you're a lucky man; she's a great kisser._" There was another long pause, punctuated by ominous muttering from Rory's friends. I briefly wondered whether I should announce that I was the Doctor's carer and drag him away. Before I could, however, he was speaking again. "_Funny how you can say something in your head and it sounds fine…_"

Deciding enough was enough I stepped forwards. "Hi… I'm Evie… listen, boys, I'm really sorry about him… he's drunk. And an idiot." Shooting the Doctor furious looks, I motioned for him to get out of the cake and leave. Nervously he did and I plastered the bright smile on once more. "Sorry, again. Rory… can I just…?"

"Are you the stripper?" One of the men shouted hopefully.

"No she is not!" The Doctor answered quickly, sticking his head back around the door.

I glared at him. "No, sorry. She's on her way now, though."

Dragging Rory by the hand and prodding the Doctor in the back, we headed towards the TARDIS. As soon as we arrived back in the police box, the Time Lord headed under the console as though nothing had happened. I shook my head at Amy and rolled my eyes.

"_Oh! The life out there… it dazzles!_" The Doctor called once he was settled in his seat and fiddling with his time machine happily. "_I mean, it blinds you to the things that are important. I've seen it devour relationships and plans…_" There was a loud bang and flash as sparks showered around us. Rory jumped, looking totally terrified. "_It's meant to do that._" The Doctor assured him, before continuing his speech as though there had been no interruption. "_Because for one person to have seen all that, to taste the glory and then go back… it will tear you apart. So… I'm sending you somewhere… together._"

"_What? Like a date?_" Amy demanded, looking worried.

"_Anywhere you want._" He agreed. "_Any time you want. One condition – it has to be amazing. The Moulin Rouge in 1890, the first Olympic Games… think of it as a wedding present, because frankly it's either this or tokens. It's a lot to take in, isn't it?_" He asked Rory as he darted past. The man was standing stock still in the same place as he had been for at least ten minutes. "_Tiny box, huge room inside. What's that about? Let me explain._"

"_It's another dimension._" Rory said.

"_It's basically another dimen– What?_" He looked annoyed that Rory had prevented him from doing his 'bigger on the inside' speech. I grinned and leant on the railings amused.

"_After Prisoner Zero I've been reading up on all the latest scientific theories – FTL travel, parallel universes._"

The Doctor walked slowly down the steps towards him. "_I like the bit where someone says, 'It's bigger on the inside'. I always look forward to that._"

"_SO!_" Amy called, sensing the tension between them and reacting before I could. "_This date. I'm kinda done with running down corridors. What d'you think, Rory?_"

"_How about somewhere… romantic?_"

"Oh, great, then I have to hang out with you in some romantic place while they're off being all loved-up." I pointed out.

"Alright… somewhere a bit romantic and a bit exciting?" The Doctor suggested.

I nodded with approval. He slammed the landing lever down and the TARDIS jolted alarmingly. Seconds later he was leaping towards the doors, Amy pulling Rory after the Doctor. I grinned and went too, jumping down the steps, hot on their heels.

"Where are we, then?" I demanded, as I stopped in the doorway, unable to see past the three of them.

"_Venice!_" He shouted excitedly. "_Venezia! La Serenissima! Impossible city… preposterous city. Founded by refugees running from Attila the Hun! It was just a collection of little wooden huts in the middle of the marsh–_"

"Aww! Look at the cute goat!" I interrupted him, pointing at the animal which was being pulled along on a piece of string by an old woman.

"_BUT,_" he continued loudly, ignoring me, "_became one of the most powerful cities in the world. Constantly being invaded, constantly flooding… constantly just beautiful! Ah, you've gotta love Venice! So many people did – Byron, Napoleon, Casanova._" He glanced at his watch. "_Ooh! That reminds me… 1580, that's alright. Casanova doesn't get born for 145 years; don't want to run into him... I owe him a chicken._"

I smirked, folding my arms. "Casanova, eh? Couldn't we come back a bit–"

"No!" The Doctor said quickly, shaking his head furiously and looking me up and down. "No. No, no, no. No, you are not meeting Casanova. No."

"Spoil sport…"

"_You owe Casanova a chicken?_" Rory asked, as I rolled my eyes and followed the Doctor through the market.

"_Long story; we had a bet._"

As we approached the city gates, a man in a stupid hat stopped us, waving his hands around theatrically. He had a large, thick book under his arm and a stack of parchment.

"_Papers, if you please._" He demanded. "_Proof of residency, current bill of medical inspection._"

"_There you go, fella._" The Doctor obliged, waving the psychic paper at him. The man snatched it out of his hands. "_All to your satisfaction, I think you'll find._"

The man looked between the four of us in dismay, before bowing to the Doctor. "_I'm so sorry, your Holiness. I- I didn't realise._"

"Holiness?" I mouthed at Amy, arching an eyebrow. She smirked and shrugged.

"_No worries… you were just doing your job. Sorry, what exactly IS your job?_"

"_Checking for aliens._" The man said, making me smirk. I had to turn away quickly before I snorted with laughter. "_Visitors from foreign lands, what might bring the plague with them._"

"_Oh! That's nice!_" Amy snapped, glaring at the Doctor. "_See where you bring me? The plague!_"

I wrinkled my forehead in confusion, thinking hard. If this was 1580, then the plague had died out about 230 years earlier. There wasn't any chance of plague entering the city.

"_Don't worry, Viscountess._" The man said, looking directly at Amy. I raised an eyebrow again and tried not to laugh. Rory, on the other hand, looked as though he was about to have a heart attack. "_No… we're under quarantine here. No one come in, no one goes out and all because of the grace and wisdom of our patron, Signora Rosanna Calvierri._"

"_How interesting…_" The Doctor said slowly. "_I heard the plague died out years ago._"

"So did I…" I agreed. "Over 200 years ago…"

"_Not out there_, Princess." The man said, pointing wildly into the distance. This time I couldn't stop myself snorting with laughter at the way he'd addressed me and was forced to turn it into a cough. "_No, Signora Calvierri has seen it with her own eyes. Streets are piled high with bodies, she said._"

"_Did she now?_"


	112. Vampire Fish 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Vampire Fish**

Amy, the Doctor and I smiled at the man and moved past him into the city. Rory, however, stood rooted to the spot, staring at the psychic paper in confusion and annoyance.

"_Umm… according to this, I am your eunuch!_" He complained, loudly.

"_Oh, yeah… I'll explain later._" Amy told him with a shrug, heading after the Doctor.

"Psychic paper…" I muttered as I grabbed Rory's hand and pulled him after the others. "It shows people whatever the Doctor wants them to see."

"Right… Eunuch?"

I shrugged. "They were influential back then… now… you know what I mean." Catching up with Amy and the Doctor, I fell into step beside the Time Lord. "The plague died out in 1350… why would this Signora Calvierra be telling people it's still around 230 years later?"

"I don't know…" He mused, looking around. "Maybe we should pay her a visit?"

"Like it's going to be that easy. Someone like her will have security. She's not going to want to see us." I told him cynically.

"Well, then we'll just have to–" The Doctor started, but I shushed him quickly, pointing ahead to where a group of woman were walking in strict formation, veils over their faces.

"_It's the Calvierri girls!_" The woman beside us exclaimed in a hushed tone.

We moved to lean against the railings, watching the procession with interest. Amy and the Doctor laughed excitedly and I grinned, hoisting myself up to sit on the stone railing.

A commotion broke out on the opposite side of the canal. A man was rushing towards the group of woman desperately. I couldn't make out his words, but he was lifting the veils away from the faces of the woman, clearly looking for someone. I glanced at the Doctor, who was watching with interested bewilderment. Suddenly the man was on the ground and the women were walking away, back in their formation. Another, richly dressed, man moved to speak to the other before sweeping away back into the building.

I glanced at the Doctor and raised my eyebrows. "Interesting."

"Very." He agreed as two guards removed the man on the ground.

"_What was that about?_" Amy asked, turning to look at the Doctor. I followed her gaze and realised that he had gone. "_Oh! I hate it when he does that._"

I shrugged and moved away from the railing. "Come on."

"He'll be back." Amy said confidently. "We should wait."

"Where's the fun in that?" I asked.

"It's one of his rules; don't wander off."

"I know… and?"

"We should stay here and wait for him to come back." Rory said, agreeing with his fiancée.

I sighed. "Fine, you two stay here and be boring. I'm going to find out what's going on around here."

I turned and headed away, instinctively taking a left and then a right. After a moment's consideration I took the next right, rounded the corner and found myself face-to-face with the Doctor. He had his arm around the shoulders of the man we'd seen across the canal.

"Hello!" He called cheerfully, spotting me. "Where are Amy and Rory?"

"Back by the canal. They were playing by your rules and not wandering off." I told him with a shrug.

"Lovely… they can do their romantic things and we can have our adventure!" He said with a grin. I smirked back and nodded, wrinkling my nose.

"Who's your friend?"

"This, Evie, is Guido. His daughter's one of the Calvierri girls. They go in and something happens to them." The Doctor said excitedly. The man shot him a pained look and the Time Lord rearranged his features. "Sorry… Anyway, we're going to find out what's going on."

"What's the plan, then?"

"Well, obviously we need to get into that school."

I sighed. "Obviously. How?" There was a pause. "We need a distraction."

The Doctor and I looked at Guido at the same time, smiling. He looked between us, confused. "What?"

"Can you distract the guards so we can slip past them?" The Doctor asked. "Then we can see what's going on."

"I can try." He nodded.

As we approached the gates of the school, the man rushed towards them, shouting about his daughter and demanding to be let in. The Doctor and I moved quickly around the side, slipping out of sight along a narrow ledge above the canal. As soon as we reached the platform where the gate was, the Doctor soniced the lock open and we crept inside, ducking behind the stone pillars.

"You go that way." He ordered, pointing across a courtyard. "I'll take this way."

I nodded and moved across the large expanse of stone flooring. By the time I'd reached the other side, the Doctor had vanished through the wooden door in the wall. It was swinging slightly behind him.

Carefully I crept along a corridor and stopped when I heard talking from a room to my left. Cautiously I moved closer until I could see inside properly. The richly-dressed man from earlier was talking to an equally well-dressed woman. I couldn't quite hear what was going on, so moved a little closer.

Unfortunately as I did so I knocked the ornamental table beside me, sending the vase on it crashing to the ground. I swore under my breath as the two figures turned to look towards the doorway. I caught a glimpse of large, fangs before I turned and fled along the stone corridor, looking for a way out. There were fast footsteps behind me and I began to panic.

The corridor turned out to be a dead-end, much to my horror. In the flickering candle-light I saw a figure approaching and took a deep breath, preparing to fight. Then my eye fell on a window beside me and, making up my mind in a split-second I leapt for it.

Half jumping, half falling I tumbled to the ground, landing in a crumpled heap. There was a shooting pain in my ankle and I groaned, massaging the joint carefully and sliding back into the shadows before anyone spotted me.

"Well that was impressive." The Doctor said beside me, making me jump about a foot in the air. "Are you alright?"

"Fine… Doctor… I think they're Vampires…"

He beamed. "I know! I just met some! Isn't it exciting!"

"It is!" I agreed with a laugh. "But can we get out of here and find Amy and Rory before we get all excited."

Nodding, the Doctor helped me to my feet. My ankle felt much better and I was able to walk normally on it. We crept along the side of the building, staying in the shadows and darting out of sight if anyone appeared. Soon we were back on the ledge, shimmying to freedom.

"Back to the railings where we left Amy and Rory." I muttered. "They'll probably go back there to find us."

The Doctor nodded and grabbed my hand as we ran through the streets. Sure enough, when we arrived back at the spot we'd last seen them, the couple were threre.

Amy squealed excitedly, jumping up and down and fuelling the Doctor's overexcitement. "_Doctor! We just saw a Vampire!_"

"_I just met some Vampires!_"

There was a lot of confused, overexcited babbling from both of them. I shrugged, leaning against the stone pillar and waiting for them to stop.

"_And creepy girls and everything!_" The Doctor exclaimed at last. "And Evie fell out of a window."

"I didn't fall, I jumped." I muttered, shaking my head as she turned to look at me.

"_Vampires!_" Amy squealed.

"_In Venice!_" He agreed.

"_We think we just saw a Vampire!_" Rory announced, skidding to a halt behind them. I looked over my shoulder, briefly wondering why he'd been so far behind.

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. Amy was just telling me._"

The red-head nodded, hugging him. "_Yeah, yeah. The Doctor actually went to their house._"

"_Oh… right… well…_"

"And Evie fell out of the window." The Doctor informed him, much to my annoyance.

I growled. "I did not fall, I jumped."

"_OK, so first we need to get back in there somehow._" The Doctor announced.

Rory looked horrified. "_What?_"

"_How do we do that?_" Amy asked excitedly.

"_Back in where?_" Her fiancé continued.

The Doctor grinned. "_Come and meet my new friend._"


	113. Vampire Fish 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Vampire Fish**

Guido dropped a large map on the table in his small kitchen and we gathered round it interestedly. Rory, however, stayed back. He sat on one of the large wooden barrels that were gathered along the wall and watched us, anxiously.

"_As you saw, there's no clear way in._" He explained seriously. "_The House of Calvierri is like a fortress. But… there's a tunnel underneath it, with a ladder and shaft that leads up into the house. I tried to get in once myself, but I hit a trapdoor._"

"_You need someone on the inside._" Amy said quickly, grinning with excitement.

"_No._" The Doctor snapped immediately, understanding what she was getting at.

"_You don't even know what I was gonna say!_"

He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "_Err… that we pretend you're an applicant for the school to get you inside and tonight you come down and open the trapdoor to let us in._"

"_Oh. So you DO know what I was gonna say._"

"It was a pretty obvious plan." I told her quietly and shrugging. "He's not that clever."

Rory stood up quickly. "_Are you INSANE?_"

"_We don't have any other option._"

"_He said no, Amy. Listen to him._"

"I'll do it." I suggested with a shrug. "Easy, peasy."

"No!" The Doctor repeated.

"_There is another option…_" Guido said slowly. He pointed towards Rory who had sat back down on the barrel, much to their confusion. "_I work at the Arsenale. We build the warships for the navy._"

As he spoke, the Doctor seemed to be sniffing Rory. "_Gunpowder… most people just nick stationary from where they work._" Rory looked as though he was going to have his second heart attack of the day. Slowly he edged away from the barrels. "_Look… I have a thing about guns and huge quantities of explosives._"

"Tell me about it… he ruins all my fun." I muttered under my breath.

"_What do you suggest then?_" Guido demanded angrily. "_We wait until they turn her into an animal?_"

"_I'll be there three, four hours tops._" Amy said, raising an eyebrow.

"If we both go it'll be absolutely fine, won't it?" I added with a shrug.

For a moment the Doctor considered it. "_No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! It can't keep happening like this. This is how they go._" Amy and I looked at each other, knowing that he was cracking. "_But I have to know. We go together. Say you're my daughters._"

"_What?_" Rory demanded. "_Don't listen to him._"

"_Your daughters?_" Amy laughed. "_You look about nine!_"

"Maybe twelve at most." I joined in, grinning. "That'll never work, Doctor. No one will ever buy that we're your daughters."

"_Brother, then._" He conceded with a shrug.

"_Too weird._" Amy told him, shaking her head. "My _fiancé_, her brother."

"Why is it weird for him to be your brother, not mine?" I demanded.

"Because I look nothing like him." She said with a shrug. "But you could pass as his sister."

I rolled my eyes. "Oh, thanks."

"_Err… I'm not having him run around telling people he's your fiancé._" Rory told her firmly.

"_No, no, you're right._" Amy agreed with a nod.

"_Thank you._"

"_I mean, they've already seen the Doctor. You should do it._"

He hesitated, looking horrified at the idea. "_Me?_"

"_Yeah! You can be our brother._" Amy said, ruffling Rory's hair. The Doctor chuckled and I shot him a look. He stopped abruptly.

"_Why is him being your brother weird, but with me it's OK?_"

"_Actually, I thought you WERE her fiancé?_" Guido chipped in, pointing at the Doctor and making the situation even more awkward.

"_Yeah… that's not helping._" The Time Lord told him.

"_This whole thing is mental!_" Rory shouted, annoyed. "_They're Vampires, for god's sake!_"

"_We hope…_"

"_So if they're not Vampires…?_" Amy started slowly.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow. "_Makes you wonder what could be so bad it doesn't actually mind us thinking it's a Vampire._"

I rolled my eyes at his impression and stood up from the chair I'd been perching in. "Guido… do you have any of Isabella's clothes that Amy and I could borrow?"

He nodded and pointed wordlessly to a door. We went in and discovered that it must have been her bedroom. Quickly we changed, helping each other into the complicated outfits. When we were ready we returned to the kitchen and found Rory reluctantly standing by the fire, dressed in some of Guido's clothes.

All the way to the Calvierri House he complained under his breath, angry with the Doctor for letting this happen and angry with us for agreeing so readily to do it. To be fair to the Doctor, we hadn't given him much choice.

Outside the doors to the large hall where we'd been told Signora Calvierri would hear our request, Amy squeezed our hands tightly. I smiled back at her, reassuringly and winked at Rory. Then the doors opened and we were ushered in.

There was silence until Rory nervously started to speak, telling them the agreed story. "_So, basically, both our parents are dead from getting the plague. I'm a gondola… driver… so, money's a bit tight._" Amy and I both glanced sideways at him, wondering whether they'd believe the story. "_So, having my… sisters… go to your school for special people would be… brilliant. Cheers._"

"_Have we met?_" The man, the Signora's son, asked Amy. She opened her mouth to speak, but Rory cut in.

"_I've just got one of those faces._"

The man stepped forward. "_I wasn't talking to you._"

"_She's got the same face. Which is because she's my sister._" Rory said quickly. I looked at him with an expression that I hoped said, 'what the hell are you going on about? Shut up!'. "They both are."

"_Carlo, explain yourself._" The Signora demanded, looking at the steward who was hovering beside the wall. "_Why have you brought me this imbecile?_"

"_Signora, they have references from his Majesty the King of Sweden._" The steward told her.

I tried not to retch as the Signora's son came close to me, leering into my face. There was a very strong smell of fish.

"_What? Let me see._" She demanded, holding out her hand. Her son continued to circle us, his gaze drifting up and down our bodies as Rory stepped forward to hand her the psychic paper. "_Well now I see what got my steward so excited. What say you, Francesco, do you like them?_"

"_Oh I do, Mother._" He said, his tone making me want to shiver. "_I do._"

"_Then we'd be delighted to accept them._" Signora Calvierri said with a smile. "_Say goodbye to your sisters._"

Rory had to be led away by the steward. Amy and I looked at each other, suddenly nervous now that it was actually happening.

"_Tell Uncle… Doctor… we'll see you really soon, OK?_" Amy called as he left the room, looking over his shoulder anxiously.

"We'll be fine." I added with a reassuring smile.

The door slammed shut and he was gone. Amy reached out and took my hand. I gave it a squeeze as we followed the steward from the room. He led us along a stone corridor. All around us, the creepy Vampire girls appeared, laughing and bearing their fangs at us. I looked at Amy and smiled weakly.

"_There are clothes on the bed._" The steward told us as we reached a bed chamber. "_Get changed and wait here._"

"Blimey…" Amy muttered, looking up at the domed, ornately decorated ceiling. "This is private education, then?"

"I wish." I muttered, picking up the long white gown from one of the spare beds and holding it up against myself. "What's this? A nightie?"

Amy sighed and watched as all the other girls filed out, except one. I guessed that it was Isabella and smiled at her.

"_Hey… hello? I'm Amy._ This is Evie. _What's your name?_"

"_Isabella._" The girl said, confirming my suspicions. She didn't look at us, keeping her gaze trained straight ahead.

Amy sat beside her, talking urgently. "_Listen, we're going to get you out of here, but I need you to tell me what's going on. What is this place? What are they doing?_"

"_They… umm…_" Her voice was hesitant; layered with emotion. "_They come at night. They gather round my bed and they take me to a room… with this green light and a chair with… with straps, as if for a surgeon._"

"_What happens in there?_" Amy asked gently.

Isabella shook her head. "_I wake up here… and the sunlight burns my skin like candle wax._"

Somewhere, a bell tolled, breaking the spell and causing me to shiver. I glanced at the door and then back at Amy and Isabella.

"Come on; let's get changed before Creepy McCreepington comes back." I suggested.


	114. Vampire Fish 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Vampire Fish**

Once we were changed, I picked up one of the oil lamps and moved to the door.

"Where are you going?" Isabella asked, frightened.

"Just going for a look around." I told her quickly.

Amy stood up from the bed and shot her a smile. "We won't be long."

We made our way through the dark, stone corridors. All around us were horrible shrieks and screams and the sound of crying. It chilled me to the core, but I did my best to block it out, along with the feeling that someone was watching us. Amy and I moved quickly towards where Guido had told us the trapdoor was.

Finally we found ourselves in the courtyard where the Doctor and I had split up earlier. In the centre was a large well with a heavy cover over it. Putting down the lamps quietly, Amy and I leant over, looking between the bars of the grate. Then we pulled the stiff clamps to open it.

"OK?" I murmured when it was done. Amy nodded and we picked up the lamps, looking around and heading back the way we'd come.

After a couple of steps, Amy screamed and dropped her lamp. Instinctively I did the same without even knowing the reason. It soon became apparent when a pair of strong hands grabbed hold of me, partially lifting me off the ground and began half-carrying, half-dragging me towards the staircase. I struggled, trying to break free, but the grip on me only got tighter.

"_Control yourself, child._" The steward growled, bundling me down the stone steps.

"_Get your hands off me!_" Amy ordered fiercely.

"What she said!" I snapped, equally angrily. "OI!"

"_Psychic paper?_" Signora Calvierri asked. Suddenly a green light was turned on, just as Isabella had said. I looked wildly around, but there was no sign of a chair, with or without straps. "_Did you really think that would work on me?_"

"That depends, who are you?" I demanded, not willing to let her see how scared I was.

She laughed. "I ask the questions. _Where are you from? Did you fall through the chasm?_"

"_Mother, this is pointless._" Her son said in a bored tone. "_Let's just start the process._"

"_Hold your tongue, Francesco! I need to know what these girls are doing in the world of savages with psychic paper. Who are you with?_" Two of the girls appeared, carrying a large, wooden chair between them. It was complete with straps, as Isabella had described. Francesco hung a large metal hook from a ring on the ceiling, directly above the chair and smiled, a nasty glint in his eye. "_See, I scarcely believe your idiot brother sent you. What are you doing in my school?_"

"_OK, I'll tell you._" Amy said. I looked at her sharply. "_I'm from Ofsted._"

The Signora laughed and looked at the steward who was holding my arms. "_Put her in the chair._"

I struggled even harder, kicking out wildly and shouting threats at the top of my voice. The steward and the Vampire girls were too strong and there were too many of them. I had no chance of fighting them off.

"Amy!" I shouted, moving my head so that I could see her. "Get to the others!"

"_No!_" Amy shrieked as they wrestled me into the arm straps, stopping me escaping. I hoped she realised that I wanted her to escape if she could, rather than sticking around to save me which was, no doubt, not going to be possible. "_Get your hands off me!_ Evie!"

"_Oh, make sport of me, will you?_" The Signora said with a laugh. "_Tease me as if I were your dog? Well, this dog has a bite, girl._"

"Yeah?" I screamed, still trying to fight my way out of the chair although I knew it was impossible. "Well you're going to be so, so sorry! I've dealt with bigger bitches than you before!"

One of the girls was pushing my hair away from my neck gently and I could feel Francesco's hands on my face. The smell of fish was so strong I wanted to be sick. I stopped struggling as the Signora turned around, her fangs bared. As she advanced on me, I noticed that they were slightly rounded… almost like Prisoner Zero's had been.

Then there was a piercing pain in my neck and it felt as though poison was being injected directly into my veins. I couldn't even scream, it was like I was paralysed. I could hear Amy screaming, shouting for them to stop, calling for the Doctor. But slowly and surely her voice faded out until there was nothing but darkness and cold.

Then the cold and darkness lifted slightly and I was aware that the Signora had moved away. Instead, Francesco was leaning over me, his index finger trailing down my throat. My eyes flickered around the room, but it was empty apart from the two Calverris. I hoped that meant Amy had managed to escape.

"_Mother…_" He breathed. "_When you drink from her, may we share? I'm so thirsty…_"

"_Of course, darling._" She said with a smile. Turning, she looked down at me, satisfaction on her face. "_This is how it works… First, we drink you 'til you're dry. Then… we fill you with our blood. It rages through you like a fire… changing you. Until one morning you awake and your humanity is a dream… now faded._"

Francesco moved a stray curl from my neck and chuckled. "_Or you die. That can happen._"

"What if I don't… what then?" I demanded weakly, unable to raise my head to glare at them.

"_Then there are 10,000 husbands waiting for you in the water._"

"I'm not great with water." I told her with a weak smile.

The Signora took a step towards me and I lashed out, my foot connecting with her stomach. Francesco grabbed me roughly in a sort of headlock as she lifted the top layer of her dress, revealing a device attached to her waistband precisely where my foot had connected with her. There was a strange electronic noise and all of a sudden she blurred.

One minute she was the woman, Signora Rosanna Calvierri. Then next minute a giant… thing stood in front of me. It was almost impossible to describe. Its head was almost like a fish, but it had long arms ending in long, sharp fingers and a torso and legs. My eyes widened as the Signora reappeared, looking furious.

"Finish her!" She snapped at her son and he leant down, his fangs grazing my neck. I tried to resist, but I had no energy. Seconds later I felt the searing pain again. This time the cold and darkness came much more quickly.


	115. Vampire Fish 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Vampire Fish**

I came round when someone slapped me. Wincing, I blinked and saw Amy smiling down at me. Isabella was with her and she quickly undid the straps around my wrists. Slightly unsteadily, I followed them up the steps and out onto the corridor.

"Doctor!" I cried, relieved to see him.

"_Rory!_"

"_Amy!_"

"_Quickly, through here._" Isabella commanded, showing us a way to escape. We followed quickly, the Doctor bringing up the rear and waving his torch around.

"_They're not Vampires._" Amy informed the two men as we went down a lot of steep, narrow steps.

"_What?_"

"_I saw them, I saw her… they're not Vampires. They're aliens!_"

"How did you see her?" I demanded, stopping and almost causing the Doctor to walk straight into me.

"Did you honestly think I was gonna leave you alone with them?" Amy demanded, rolling her eyes. "I escaped when she was drinking your blood, then doubled back when they all went chasing after me. I saw that weird fish-alien thing when you broke her belt doo-dah."

"Her perception filter." I agreed with a nod, smiling at her. "Thanks, Amy."

"_Classic!_" The Doctor muttered cheerfully.

Rory looked confused. "_That's good news? What is wrong with you people?_"

"_Come on, Rory… move!_" The Doctor ordered as we sped along the corridors. Francesco and the girls were hot on our heels. Bare foot in the long, white gowns Amy, Isabella and I couldn't go very fast over the cold, rocky ground. "_Keep moving! Come on, guys!_"

We finally reached the door and Isabella ushered us out ahead of her. She cringed away from the light as though it was physically hurting her. I realised what was happening at once. The sunlight WAS hurting her. Without thinking, I pulled the Doctor's jacket off him and threw it over the girl's head.

"Come on!" I urged, hurrying to the boat where Guido was waiting. "Let's go!"

"Go back to the house." The Doctor ordered as they got into the boat. "I need a word with Signora Calvierri."

Guido nodded and started to move them along before anyone could protest. I kept the jacket over Isabella, trying to shield her from the light as much as possible.

"Why isn't it affecting you?" Her father asked, confused.

"I don't think they transfused any blood into me." I told him slowly. "I think they just started draining my blood out."

Amy shook her head. "No, you were hooked up to that blood bag."

"Really?" I shrugged. "Maybe they didn't get enough in… I don't know?"

We crowded into Guido and Isabella's house, waiting for the Doctor to arrive. I was starting to feel odd and sat down heavily in a chair. Amy shot me a questioning look but I just smiled and waved her away, turning to Isabella instead.

"You're going to have to stay out of the sun, I'm sorry." I told her with an apologetic smile. "But it's better than still being there, right?"

She nodded. "Thank you."

"I should be thanking you – you and Amy." There was a crash and the Doctor appeared, stumbling through the door unceremoniously. "That was quick."

"It was a short chat." He replied with a shrug. "Now… come here."

I batted him away quickly, unwilling to let him scan me. "No. Leave me alone. I'm alright."

He sighed and waved his sonic screwdriver over Amy instead, checking the readings. "_You're fine. Open wide._" She did and he popped a hard-boiled sweet onto her tongue before moving to check Isabella.

"What now, then?" Rory asked as the Doctor started pacing.

He, Amy, Guido and Isabella sat on the benches by the table while I stayed in the chair on the other side of the room. I was starting to feel woozy again. My blood felt thicker than normal, as though it was fighting its way through my veins and arteries.

"_I need to think!_" The Doctor snapped urgently. "_Come on brain. Think, think. Think!_" He sat at the head of the table. "_THINK!_"

"_If they're fish people it explains why they hate the sun._" Amy pointed out with a shrug, her voice strange as she spoke around the sweet.

The Doctor covered her mouth. "_Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush!_"

"_It's the school thing I don't understand._" Rory added.

"_Stop talking, brain thinking. Hush!_" The Time Lord repeated, covering Rory's mouth with his other hand.

"_I say we take the fight to them._" Guido suggested passionately.

"_Ah-ah-ah!_"

"_What?_"

"_Ah!_" The Doctor motioned for Rory to put his hand over Guido's mouth, seeing as he had none free to do it. From where I was sitting it looked very odd indeed. "_Her planet dies, so they flee through a crack in space and time and end up here. Then she closes off the city and, one by one, starts changing the people into creatures like her to start a new gene pool._" He explained. "_Got it! Then what? They come from the sea? They can't survive forever on land, so what's she gonna do?_" He paused. "_Unless she's going to do something to the environment to make the city habitable._"

"Why chose Venice specifically?" I asked quietly, wondering whether we were thinking along the same lines.

"_She said, 'I shall bend the heavens to save my race'. Bend the heavens… bend… the heavens…_" He moved his hands onto Amy and Rory's heads, making them nod in time with his words. "_She's going to sink Venice._"

"_She's… she's going to sink Venice?_" Guido repeated, confused.

"_And repopulate it with the girls she's transformed._"

"_You can't repopulate somewhere with just women._" Rory explained, as though he thought the Doctor might not be aware of this fact. It wouldn't have been a total shock to me if this WAS news to the Time Lord. "_You need… blokes._"

"_She's got blokes!_" Amy said, suddenly remembering.

"_Where?_"

"_In the canal. She said, 'there are 10,000 husbands waiting in the water'._" She explained quickly. I remembered too; she'd told me when I'd asked what would happen if I didn't die.

"_Only the male offspring survived the journey here. She's got 10,000 children swimming around the canals waiting for Mum to make them some compatible girlfriends._"

"That's just weird." I muttered, shaking my head.

"_Eurgh…_" The Doctor agreed. "_I mean, I've been around a bit, but really that's… that's… eurgh!_"

From somewhere above us there was a loud clatter. We all glanced up quickly, wondering what had caused the noise. It sounded as though someone had knocked something over upstairs.

"_The people upstairs are very noisy._" The Doctor said, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

Guido looked at the ceiling and then across at the Time Lord. "_There aren't any people upstairs._"

"_See, I knew you were gonna say that!_" The Doctor half laughed, pointing his finger excitedly at the man. "_Did anyone else know he was gonna say that?_"

"It crossed my mind." I told him, slightly sarcastically. "So, now what?"

"_Is it the Vampires?_" Rory whispered, looking alarmed.

"_Like I said, they're not Vampires._" The Doctor repeated, not really answering his question. He pulled out his ultra-violet torch, careful to avoid shining it directly at Isabella. "_Fish from space._"

Suddenly the door opened and one of the girls appeared. Beside her, the window was smashed and another filled the space. I turned as everyone stared behind me and realised that four of the girls were peering through the window behind my chair. With an uncharacteristic squeal I leapt to my feet and backed towards the table.

"_Aren't we on the second floor?_" Rory pointed out, slowly. There was another crash as the window was shattered.

The Doctor got to work with his torch, fending them off. Then he pulled out the sonic screwdriver and removed their perception filters. Instead of the beautiful Calvierri girls, four of the fish creatures were in the window, clawing desperately towards him.

"_What's happened to them?_" Guido demanded.

"_There's nothing left of them, they've been fully converted. Blimey… fish from space have never been so… buxom._"

"Mind on the matters at hand." I muttered with a roll of my eyes, moving to stand beside him with my hands on my hips. "There are more than just those four, remember?"

"_OK… move! Come on!_"

We rushed down the narrow twisting staircase, closely pursued by the creatures whose perception filters had kicked back in. I was quite glad; being chased by girls with Vampire teeth was one thing, being chased by giant alien fish was something else entirely. It was a good job I didn't have a therapist.

"_Go, go, go, guys!_" The Doctor ordered as Amy wrenched open the door and we fled through it. "_Keep moving, go, go, go!_"

"_Stay away from the door, Doctor!_" Guido commanded, darting back into the house and shutting the door firmly. At once both the Doctor and I were hammering at it, trying to get it open once more.

"_No! Guido! What are you doing?_" He demanded desperately. "_I'm not leaving you! What are you doing?_" He tried to sonic it open. "_Ah! Bolted!_"

"Oh, so it doesn't do wood or bolts." I muttered sarcastically. Then I backed away and looked carefully at the building. "Yes!"

Clambering up the pile of crates beside the wall of the building next to Guido and Isabella's house, I leapt onto the metal bar of the awning to the left, before swinging onto the narrow-ledge of the window beside theirs.

"What are you doing?" The Doctor shouted from below me. "Get down!"

"Keep your hair on, Doctor! I'll be fine!"


	116. Vampire Fish 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Vampire Fish**

Pulling myself up, I rolled through the broken window and fell into Guido and Isabella's kitchen. Wincing, I pulled a stray shard of glass out of my stomach and dropped it on the ground. At once the Calvierri girls turned their attention away from the man who was hovering dangerously close to the barrels of gunpowder with a flaming torch in his hand.

"OH!" I breathed, realising what he was about to do. "Good plan… only one downside that I can see…"

"What's that?"

"We're gonna end up as toast."

"Ah, yes." He agreed with a nod. Then he turned to the girls and roared, "_We are Venetians!_"

Not giving him time to think, I grabbed him by the hand and yanked him towards the window. The torch dropped from his hand and landed on the gunpowder store. As a mighty explosion ripped through the room I pushed Guido through the window, falling after him.

As I'd guessed, the angle he'd fallen at meant he landed on the awning. It strained and creaked slightly, but held. I, however, missed the awning and tumbled to the ground, landing in a crumpled heap on the ground.

"_Rosanna's initiating the final phase._" The Doctor said in a defeated voice, surveying the damage the gunpowder explosion had caused. He hadn't yet realised that we were still alive.

"_We need to stop her._" Amy said resolutely. "_Come on!_"

"_No, no, no… get back to the TARDIS._" He ordered.

"_You can't stop her on your own._"

He whirled round furiously. "_We don't discuss this._ Guido was in there. So was Evie; she tried to save him."

"What…" Amy breathed, her eyes widening with horror.

"Yeah." He agreed, his eyes blazing as he approached her. "Now, _I tell you to do something, Amy, and YOU do it! Huh?_"

She turned on her heels and ran, sobbing, away from the wreckage of the house. Rory looked at the Doctor and nodded.

"_Thank you._"

"Bit over the top, wasn't it?" I asked loudly, hobbling painfully towards the Doctor, supporting Guido as best I could. He whirled around in astonishment, his face displaying a mixture of emotions at once.

"What…?" He demanded, before rushing over and hugging me tightly. "Don't ever be so brave again!"

"I'll try." I promised with a weak laugh, which turned into a cough. He reached into his jacket but I shook my head. "If you start bleeping me I'm taking that promise back."

He grinned. "Fine… come on!"

After taking Guido somewhere safe, the Doctor and I raced back to the Calvierri House, ignoring the strange sky above us. We walked straight into the building, making a beeline for the main hall where Amy and I had been taken the night before. The Doctor strode purposefully towards Signora Calvierri's chair and I followed behind, still limping slightly.

"What are you looking for?" I asked as he began to examine it closely.

"Control panel. It has to be here somewhere…" With a satisfied cry, he pulled the plush velvet cushion away from the backrest and began scanning it quickly. "Told you."

"_You're too late._" The fish-woman said behind us. We both whirled around to face her angrily. "_Such determination… just to save one city. Hard to believe it's the same man that let an entire race turn to cinders and ash. Now you can watch as my people take their new kingdom._"

"_The girls have gone, Rosanna._" The Doctor informed her, with a satisfied smirk on his face.

She moved slowly away from him, her face draining of colour – if that was possible. "_You're lying._"

"_Shouldn't I be dead? Hmm?_"

"Well, I still have her." The woman pointed at me. "We pumped enough of our blood into her for the transformation to be instant. She was rude to me you see… we didn't much care if she died. We just went for it."

"Then why hasn't she transformed?" The Doctor asked, walking towards her. Before I could stop him, he scanned me with the screwdriver and flicked it out to check the readings. His brow furrowed for a moment and his eyes flicked curiously to my face, but then he smiled at Signora Calvierri. "No sign of alien fish blood at all."

"B-But that's… impossible." She breathed, horrified.

"Not impossible, just improbable." I told her with a grin.

"_Rosanna, please, help me._" The Doctor pleaded after sending me a curious look. His voice grew louder as she stalked out of the room without a backwards glance. "_There are 200,000 people in this city._"

"_So save them._" She challenged, disappearing from view.

The Doctor looked as though he was about to follow her, but the chair began making ominous bleeping noises. He rushed towards it. I started to move towards it as well, but the Doctor stopped and turned to face me.

"Follow her… stop her doing… anything bad." He asked. I nodded wordlessly and headed out of the hall.

I chased after the Signora as quickly as I could which, considering I'd jumped out of a second storey window, wasn't particularly fast. Now that I had time to think about it, I was in a lot of pain. My ankle felt like it was possibly broken – I definitely shouldn't be putting any weight on it – and my head was aching dreadfully. Putting my head to it revealed that it was bleeding somewhere. With a sigh I tried to ignore it, hobbling onwards.

There was a violent shaking and I collapsed on the ground. Dust and small bits of rubble rained down around me and I swore, trying to regain my footing. Deciding that the Signora was definitely gone, I turned and headed back the way I'd come.

When I arrived back in the main hall, I saw Amy and Rory ripping the wires out of the control panel in the chair. Spotting me, Amy stopped what she was doing and leapt across the room to hug me tightly.

"We saw Guido and he told us what happened." She babbled, holding me at arm's length and checking me over quickly. "Are you alright? Rory… come and check she's alright."

I protested, but it had no effect. Rory checked the wound on my head and handed me a piece of fabric to hold to the cut. Then he checked my ankle. I winced and he whistled between his teeth.

"It looks like it's been broken…" He muttered, sounding confused. "But it's already started healing. Maybe it's an old injury that's been agitated by the fall?"

I shrugged and nodded. "Maybe…" I wasn't about to inform them that I was an incredibly fast healer. "What are you doing, anyway?"

"Ripping out the wires." Amy said, returning to her task. "The Doctor thinks that if we shut this down–"

"Control will be switched to the secondary panel… which is probably also the generator." I finished, slightly impressed. "That's clever…"

"How did you…?" Rory started, but Amy stopped him, shaking her head.

"Don't even go there." She advised him. "Where is this secondary panel?"

I wrinkled my nose nervously. "That's the part you're not going to like very much. You know this building has a spire…?"

They looked at each other for a second then raced past me out of the room. I sighed and started after them. My ankle felt much better now and I was able to run at a reasonable speed. We skidded to a halt outside, the rain hammering down on our heads as we stared up into the sky.

"_There he is!_" Rory exclaimed, pointing upwards. We watched as he used a rope to climb to the golden sphere at the very top. "_Come on!_"

After a couple of minutes the rain stopped abruptly. The clouds parted and the sun began to shine once more. Birds even began to sing. Amy and Rory hugged each other in delight and I joined in with the clapping and cheering that had erupted around the square.

"_You did it!_" Rory shouted, laughing at the Doctor's 'it was nothing' routine on top of the spire. I shook my head and smiled fondly.

As we waited for him to return, Amy turned her attention to me once more, prodding at the large rip in my top. It ran from my right boob to the bottom of the top, allowing it to flap open as much as it pleased.

"That's just indecent." She announced, smirking at me.

"I almost got blown up!" I protested. "It's not like I did it on purpose!" Then I grinned. "And it's not like I run around in ridiculously short skirts."

She laughed and put an arm around my shoulders. "Fair enough."

"Come on, back to the TARDIS I think!" The Doctor shouted, reaching us. He didn't stop or slow down, marching through the square purposefully. Everyone was in clean-up mode, fixing the damage caused by the storm. "_Now then, what about you two, eh? Next stop Ledworth Registry Office? Maybe I can give you away?_"

He opened the door and I leant against the police box while Rory and Amy caught us up. Rory didn't look happy. He sighed and held up his hands.

"_It's fine. Drop me back where you found me… I'll just… say you've…_"

Amy shook her head. "_Stay. With us. Please? Just for a bit. I want you to stay._"

Rory glanced at the Doctor who smiled. "_Fine with me._"

"_Yeah?_"

"I'm cool with that." I agreed with a shrug. "Although technically it doesn't really affect me."

"_Yes, I would like that._" Rory grinned happily.

"_Nice one!_" Amy exclaimed, kissing him. "_I will pop the kettle on._" She moved past me to the TARDIS door. "_Hey! Look at this, got my spaceship,_ got my best mate, _got my boys. My work here is done._"

She vanished into the police box and Rory made a derisive sound. "_Err… we are NOT her boys._"

"_Yeah, we are._" The Doctor told him with a shrug, patting his shoulder.

Rory nodded. "_Yeah, we are._"

"She called me her best mate." I said with a happy grin. "Never really had one of them before!"

They laughed as I darted into the TARDIS before them, heading towards the kitchen to catch up with Amy. She was making the tea when I dropped into my seat.

"So? Are you sticking around for a bit?" She asked, casually.

"Maybe… no. I should get back. You know what it's like."

Amy laughed and shook her head. "Actually no, I don't. I've never been put in an alien prison."

"Good point." I shrugged. "I'll stay for tea, but then I better go."

"Yes. Never turn down a cuppa. Never."


	117. Tell Me Something That's True

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Tell Me Something That's True**

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><p><em><strong>AN: This was written after a prompt from **__**Misery Loves Sarah asking, "How did the fish blood fail to effect Evie?" I completely glossed over that fact, so here's a short chapter and an explanation. :)**_

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><p><span>Age<span>: 20

Location: The TARDIS

Date: -

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><p><em><strong>Evie finished her tea in the kitchen with Amy and Rory, laughing and chatting about everyday things. The young man listened in astonishment as the two women talked about aliens and other planets as calmly as though they were just talking about a trip to the shops. <strong>_

_**Finally the brunette decided it was time for her to leave and stood up. She waved off Amy's protests that she needed to stay and gave her a hug. As Evie passed Rory, she ruffled his hair affectionately, smirking at the quiet sigh of irritation he let out at her action.**_

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><p>I left Amy and Rory in the kitchen and made my way through the corridor to the console room. The Doctor was nowhere to be seen, so I assumed that was where I would find him. It would be rude to just vanish without saying goodbye, after all.<p>

Descending the steps, I saw him sitting on the seat beside the console, his hands clasped in his lap and staring into space. He didn't make any sign that he had noticed me drop onto the chair beside him.

"Oi, Doctor." I said, nudging him in the ribs. "I'm off… just came to say goodbye."

"Off where?" He asked, his tone dark.

I narrowed my eyes in confusion. "Stormcage, obviously."

"Obviously?"

"Doctor… what are you on about?"

"When I scanned you with the sonic, the readings that came back…" He jumped off the seat and started pacing. I bit my lip, wondering what exactly the readings showed. I was also hoping that the Doctor wouldn't ask me any complicated questions because, even in the unlikely event I'd know the answers, I wouldn't be able to tell him.

"What are you trying to say, Doctor?"

"Who are you, Evie?" He demanded, leaning down and putting one hand on the seat on either side of me. "Tell me the truth."

"Doctor… I don't know." I snapped, pushing him away and standing up. "I don't know… what I am."

"Wha- What you are?"

"Yes."

"Evie… he grabbed my hands and pulled me back towards him. "You have to explain."

"I can't Doctor. I don't know the answers."

"How come you weren't changed into one of those creatures?" He demanded, changing tack. "Rosanna said that they'd put enough of their blood in you to ensure you were transformed and yet there was nothing. You fell out of a window and survived an explosion. Minutes later you were running through the streets of Venice. Rory told me your ankle looked as though it was an old break that had been agitated. But you and I know that it broke when you fell out of the window."

Shrugging I stared at him. "I heal quickly…. So what."

"So, it's not normal. Evie… your blood fought off the blood that was transfused into you. Your anti-bodies literally destroyed the new cells trying to mutate you. How did it do that?"

"Maybe it's linked to my ability to heal quickly… or maybe I've got strong genes. I don't know!" I avoided his gaze. "What did the readings say?"

"Nothing useful. They were so normal they were abnormal."

"Story of my life." I muttered.

He grinned for a moment, before the serious expression returned to his face. "Where are you from? Maybe that will tell us something. Your parents, who are they? Have you been exposed to any radiation? Any weird… genetic… things… experiments… going on?"

"Doctor. I'm human. I'm from Earth's future… roughly the year 5100. As far as I'm aware my parents were human." I told the Doctor with a sigh, not meeting his eyes in case he realised that I wasn't being totally honest with him. "I've been in Stormcage for as long as I remember… no radiation, no weird genetic experiments."

As I stopped talking, a supressed memory hit me. I was about nine or ten, strapped to a chair and screaming for Mum. A man advanced on me, a long needle in his hand and a medical mask over his face. He jammed the needle into my arm and it felt like fire was exploding through me. I struggled, feeling as though I was going to explode.

Then suddenly Mum and the Doctor were there. The man was dead and I was in the Doctor's arms. Behind us sparks flew and fire raged as I was carried through metal corridors. Explanations followed; they were experimenting on me, trying to find out how their experimental drugs would work on humans. The problem, as Mum explained, was that I was human plus; specifically, human plus Time Lord. I wasn't sure how, but she said that the Time Lord part of me was far bigger than the human part. My body was fighting against the drugs in my system, removing the threat; that was where the burning pain came in.

The people experimenting on me didn't know any of that. As far as they were concerned I was just any other ordinary human child, kidnapped from Earth. If they'd taken the results of their experiments on me as normal for humans, it would have led to genocide; the destruction of the human race.

"Maybe it's to do with prolonged exposure to the Vortex?" The Doctor said, bringing me out of my daydream abruptly. "I've always said those Vortex Manipulators are dangerous. If I could run some tests, I might be able to isolate the–"

I shook my head firmly. "No way, Doctor. You're not running any tests on me."

"Evie… we need to know what's–"

"We don't. You just don't like not knowing what I am." I told him. The look on his face indicated that I was right. "Personally, I think ignorance is bliss."

"But you–"

"No buts." With a smile, I reached out and squeezed his hand. Then I pushed the button on the Vortex Manipulator and vanished before he could complain.


	118. Bearing Gifts

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Bearing Gifts**

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><p><em><strong>AN: I'm officially dedicating this chapter to Christina (**__**thisismyfantasyland **__**on Tumblr) because it's her birthday! So happy birthday, love! I hope you enjoy it! x**_

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><p><span>Age<span>: 17

Location: The Maldovarium/Ealing, London, Earth

Date: 783.42-r/2011

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><p><em><strong>Evie strode through the busy, dimly lit corridors of the <strong>__**Maldovarium, the spaceship bar owned by Dorium Maldovar. The Maldovarium was more than a bar and Dorium was more than a landlord. Evie ducked into a small storeroom off to the left of the corridor and pushed the door closed. **_

_**Riffling through the boxes, she couldn't find what she was looking for so gave up, heading back out into the corridor. Because of the noise, lighting and general atmosphere in the bar, no one noticed her strange behaviour. Or, if they did, they did nothing about it. Many strange people came to the Maldovarium for various reasons. It was best not to ask questions.**_

"_**Evie Song." A rich voice said suddenly, causing the teenager to stop in her tracks, halfway up a mental staircase and smirk to herself.**_

_**Slowly she turned, hands on her hips, looking at the man who'd called to her with her head tilted to one side. "Hello, Dorium. How's business?"**_

"_**Fair." He replied warily. "What are you doing here?"**_

"_**Business, not pleasure, I'm afraid." The teenager told him with a smile.**_

_**He sighed. "I feared as much."**_

* * *

><p>"I hear you're an acquaintance of one Sarah Jane Smith." I said, leaning forward and resting my elbows on the table. Instantly I regretted it, pulling a face of disgust and wiping my now slightly damp elbows on the fabric of the booth. The table was not only wet with spilled alcohol, it was also sticky. Instead I leant back against the back of the bench I was sitting on.<p>

The Verron Soothsayer that I had finally managed to track down smirked slightly and regarded me with a quizzical look. He seemed to be considering me, looking deep into my very soul. The feeling unnerved me, before I reminded myself sternly that, as a Soothsayer, he knew the future, what was coming and no doubt he knew what I was about to request him to do.

"Do you know Sarah Jane?" I demanded with a sigh, more annoyed now.

He smiled, shifted slightly on his chair so that he was leaning on the table and nodded. He had the good sense to lean his elbows on a plastic drinks menu, rather than the actual table. "I do."

"Good, glad we've got that sorted." I muttered in exasperation.

"You are in possession of such a thing as a Dexin Warp Star?" The Soothsayer continued before I could say anything else, making his statement sound far more like a question. "You wish me to deliver it to Ms Smith, ready for a battle with the Daleks. Such a battle would ravage the planet she and you call home; a planet called Earth."

"I do." I agreed again. There was no point asking how he knew; it was obvious. "So, can I trust you to deliver it? Sarah Jane's life may depend on it."

The Soothsayer nodded. "Ms Smith rendered me a great service in the past. I owe her much. I shall do as you have asked with the greatest pleasure. It will be my honour."

"Thank you." I said genuinely, standing up and reaching into my bag for the object. Carefully I pulled it out, wary of the power that was contained in the small crystal. As I held it out towards the Verron he also stood up, looking at me.

"How did you acquire such an object? Dexin Warp Stars are some of the rarest substances in the Universe. There are those who would go to war over such a thing."

I nodded. "I know. But I am not one of those. I was given the Star in order to prevent a war between two species; the Slytheen and the Medusans."

"That would have been a terrible battle indeed. The bloodshed on both sides…"

"Exactly." I pressed the leather pouch into his hand urgently. "Tell Sarah Jane to keep it until she receives a sign. Don't mention my name."

"I will do as you ask, Miss Song."

x-x

From the Maldovarium I travelled straight to Sarah Jane's house on Bannerman Road. From my calculations – assuming that I'd managed to get the timelines and coordinates right – Sarah Jane would have already threatened to use the Warp Star against the Daleks and would have no more use for the crystal.

A glance at my Vortex Manipulator showed me that I'd overshot my intended destination slightly, ending up in Ealing in the summer about three years after the Dalek invasion, rather than several months after as I'd intended. Deciding that it didn't matter, I walked quickly up to the door and rang the bell.

There was the sound of a radio inside and then laughter growing louder as a dark shape moved behind the patterned glass towards the door. It was pulled open and, rather than seeing Luke or Sarah Jane as I'd expected, a young girl blinked at me.

"Hello?" She asked, sounding suspicious.

"Oh… hi… does Sarah Jane still live here?" I asked the girl in confusion. She had light brown hair that fell loosely around her shoulders and I guessed that she was around eleven or twelve.

"Mum?" The girl called into the house, causing my mouth to drop open in surprise. This was a development.

"What's the mat–" A very familiar voice called from the kitchen, before Sarah Jane appeared in the hallway and spotted me on the doorstep. She stopped speaking and smiled, rushing forwards to hug me.

"Evie!" She exclaimed ushering me inside. "What a lovely surprise."

"Hi, Auntie Saz." I grinned, hugging her again as we reached the living room. "How are you? And who's this?"

"Don't call me Saz!" Sarah Jane laughed, swatting at me. Then she held out her hand to the girl who came to her at once and stood in front of the woman. "This is my daughter, Sky. Sky meet your… cousin? Well, meet Evie."

"Is she Jenny's sister?" Sky asked, looking at me with her head on one side. She seemed to be trying to read me. It was the second time in a short space of time that I'd felt like someone was trying to get inside my head and really didn't like it.

"Yeah, Jenny's better looking sister." I agreed with a grin.

Shooting a look at Sarah Jane, who seemed to get the meaning behind it, I perched on the edge of the coffee table. She swatted at me as she ushered her daughter out of the room and I reluctantly stood up.

"Go and make some drinks, darling. I need a word with Evie." She told Sky, before closing the door firmly.

"Sorry I haven't visited in ages. Well… I guess I haven't." I apologised, wrinkling up my face. "I'm not really great at the whole keeping in touch consistently thing."

"Neither is your father." Sarah Jane agreed with a shrug.

"Yeah… so, what's the story with Sky?"

Sarah Jane laughed. "Oh, the usual. Child being used as a weapon to destroy Earth ends up being adopted by the freelancing alien-hunting journalist. Story of my life, really."

I joined in with her laughter, shaking my head slightly. "What is your life like, Ms Smith?"

"The best dream ever!"

"Good." I said with a smile. "But I need to ask you something. That Dexin Warp Star… have you still got it?"

Sarah Jane nodded and led me up the stairs to the attic. I smiled at the familiarity and looked around, instantly noticing all the new additions to the room. I picked up a Balhoozar Stone from Fen and examined it closely until Sarah Jane gently plucked it from my hands and put it down again, raising her eyebrows.

"Don't touch!" She chastised me. I sighed and rolled my eyes, smiling at her nevertheless. "Here…"

Opening a small, shimmering red box, Sarah Jane pulled out the same leather pouch I'd just handed over to the Verron Soothsayer. It looked a lot more battered than it had moments ago as I took it out of my bag. Carefully I checked the crystal, holding it up to the light and marvelling at the clearness.

"Have the box, too." Sarah Jane offered, holding out the box she'd been keeping it in. "Why do you need it now, anyway?"

"I have to give it to the person who originally gave it to me soon." I told her. Sarah Jane raised an eyebrow, obviously slightly confused. I smiled, choosing not to explain further. "This box is beautiful."

Sarah Jane nodded. "I found it in the wreckage of an Yvelion Ship that crash landed on Earth. I have no idea what it is, but it seemed the perfect to keep the Warp Star."

"It is perfect. Thank you, Auntie SJ."

She hugged me, batting at my arm at the same time. "Nope, not SJ either."

"So not Sar, Saz or SJ?" I clarified with a grin. "Auntie Sarah Jane is such a mouthful! Anyway, I'd better be off. Say goodbye to Sky for me. Catch you later, Sazzy J."

"Oh… get off with you!" She laughed, giving me a kiss on the cheek and standing back as I set the coordinates for Stormcage into the Vortex Manipulator. "Come and see us soon."


	119. Black Market

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Black Market**

Age: 20

Location: Scotland, Earth

Date: April 1942 AD

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><p><em><strong>The part of time travel that Evie hated most was the fact that she had to dress up to fit in. Some times and planets were fine, others were not so great. World War Two was one of the not so great fashion moments. She turned up her nose as she looked in the mirror at her reflection. <strong>_

"_**Pleated skirts and high-necked jumpers are really not me." She muttered with a sigh. "And neither is this strange perm thing…"**_

_**Then she picked up her jacket and bag and headed out of the room she was renting. The elderly landlady was sitting in her arm chair in the front room knitting. She looked up and smiled as Evie paused in the hall.**_

"_**I won't be back too late, Mrs Chippenham."**_

_**Mrs Chippenham smiled. When she spoke, Evie found her soft Scottish lilt reassuring. "Are you going to the dance, dear? Be careful going down Ackerman Street in the dark."**_

"_**I will, don't worry." The young woman assured her with a nod. "Goodnight."**_

* * *

><p>"Now, Miss Jones, do you have your ID card?" The man asked as I waited to be let into the warehouse. I sighed loudly and rolled my eyes, but fished in my bag for the card nevertheless, handing it to him and glancing over my shoulder. "That seems to be in order."<p>

"So can I come in?"

He nodded and stood aside, letting me into the building through a heavy wooden door. Unwatched, I checked my Vortex Manipulator, scanning for alien life forms. At first I thought there was nothing unusual around. Then there was a bleep and I furrowed my eyebrows. There was a trace of residual rift energy registering on my device. Someone here had come into close contact with the rift recently.

"Evie." A handsome man sitting on an upturned crate enthused. As I got closer he stood up and pulled me towards him, waltzing me around to the music that was playing on his gramophone. "Anything for me tonight?"

"Nothing, Joe." I told him with a shrug. "No new information, nothing on the black market. Although apparently there's a delivery coming into the grocers tomorrow night which should be easy enough to intercept."

"Flash a bit of leg and they'll be putty in your hands, darlin'." I rolled my eyes and pulled my hands out of his grasp. "Come on, now, Evie. Two English folks in Scotland during the war… we've got to stick together, ain't we?"

"Mmmm…" I was looking around, wondering where the readings had come from on my Vortex Manipulator. "Is there someone else here?"

"Just two new girls; came in from London this morning." Joe told me calmly. "I thought you could get them fixed up with rooms. What with all your connections."

I raised an eyebrow, folding my arms over my chest. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Joe leered at me and chuckled. "You know what it means. Now… they're just sorting through those nylons we picked up the other night."

"Right…"

I headed through the dimly lit warehouse to the small metal door at the bottom end of the room. Inside I could see two figures bent over the crates, rifling through the contents. The last couple of times Joe had asked me to fix a girl up with rooms, they had vanished; all of them. While I had tried to find them, there was no trace anywhere.

"Hello, I'm Evie." I called from the doorway, aware that I would startle them enough as it was, without appearing right behind them.

"We know." One of the women said, causing me to narrow my eyes at them.

When they turned around my mouth dropped open because I recognised them. Lucie and Jessica stood in front of me, dressed in 1940's outfits and smiling as though I'd just bumped into them shopping in Cardiff. I'd only met the brunette once before, but I hadn't been able to forget her. There was just something about her that caught my attention.

"What are you doing here?" I demanded in a low hiss.

"The same as you, I'd imagine." Lucie told me with a shrug. "There's something around here making people disappear and we need to find out what it is."

I glanced over my shoulder to check no one could hear us before moving closer. "How do you know?"

Jessica raised her arm and showed me a device on her wrist; a vortex manipulator. I clenched my jaw, trying to work out what this could mean. The devices were rare; only made for members of the Time Agency. I only knew of three people who owned one – me, mum and Jack.

"Where did you get that?" I demanded.

"The readings are stronger in here." Jessica continued, ignoring my question and infuriating me even further. "Over there…"

Not intending to be outdone, I pulled my sleeve up and checked the readings on my own Vortex Manipulator. The annoying young woman was right, much to my immense frustration. I pushed past them, following the beeping to the bottom corner of the room. There was a pile of crates, covered partially with a tarpaulin. Pulling it quickly aside, I spotted what was causing the readings at once. Now I knew what was causing the trace rift readings I could disregard them and concentrate on the other readings.

"Dectrusion Teleportation Modulator." I muttered, scanning the rectangular metal box.

"What's that?" Lucie asked, leaning over my shoulder to get a closer look. I straightened up and turned so that I could show her properly.

"Exactly what I said; it's a modulation device used during teleportation. It changes the signal depending on where the Dectrusion wants to go. I'm guessing that they use it to choose their victim, track them down and then transport them to Dectusia via this Modulator." I explained quickly, flipping it over and examining the inner panel.

"So? How do we get the people back?"

I glanced up quickly, my eyes saying everything the girls needed to know. "We can't."

"Why?" Jessica demanded fiercely. She had her hands on her hips and was glaring at me in a way that reminded me of someone. Distracted as I was, I didn't dwell on the significance of that.

"The atmosphere on Dectusia would mean that any human that found themselves there would be dead within seconds." I explained slowly. "There's no chance that they survived."

"You're not even going to try?" The young woman asked accusingly.

I glared at her. "I told you, there's no chance they're alive. Going there would be a suicide mission."

"Fine." Jessica snapped. She turned and stamped across the room and out of the door.

Watching her leave, I frowned. Lucie shook her head. "She knew one of the girls. When we first got here we traced a signal and met Pamela. She was only seventeen… the same age as Jess. They quickly made friends… you can understand why she's angry; she thought she'd be able to save her."

I sighed. "I'm sorry… there really is nothing I can do."

"I know." Lucie agreed with a nod.

"Why do you trust me? I've only met you twice before." I asked her, fiddling with the wires inside the modulator. There was a complex pattern. If I got the re-wiring wrong it would explode, killing everyone with in a 100 mile radius. If I got it right, however, it would become completely harmless; no more teleportation would be able to take place.

"You've met me twice," Lucie said with a smile, "but I've met you more than that. I've got a good reason to trust you and you're just going to have to take my word for it." I opened my mouth to speak, but she smiled and laughed. "I know that's hard for you to do, but you're going to have to this time!"

There was a clunk and the white light on the Modulator faded slowly. I grinned triumphantly, waving it at Lucie.

"Sorted." She held out her hand but I shook my head. "No way. This is going somewhere safe. Someone with the right knowledge could easily rewire it to work again."

"So now we need to track down whoever was using the Modulator, right?"

I shook my head. "Nope… it was set to inward flight mode. Whoever was using it had gone back home to Dectusia and as I said before, I have no intention of going there after them."

"So it's all sorted?" Lucie looked confused. "That was simple."

"Sometimes things are." I agreed with a shrug. "There's just one more thing I need to do before I leave."

Lucie followed me curiously as I marched back into the main warehouse. In the middle of the room Joe was obviously chatting up Jessica. For some reason this annoyed me even more than I already was and I stalked towards him furiously.

"Ahh… Evie, darlin'." He said, looking a little guilty and standing up quickly. "You've met the girls, then? Think you can find somewhere for them to live?"

Wordlessly I smiled and moved closer. Confusion flickered through his eyes for a split second before I raised my knee and caught him in the most painful area. As he groaned in agony and doubled over and smiled even more broadly.

"See you, Joe. You can do your own dirty work from now on." I strode out of the building without a backwards glance, Lucie and Jessica behind me.

"Is that it?" Jessica asked.

"In about ten minutes the police will be all over this place looking for black market and counterfeit goods." I told her with a shrug. "And this…" I waved the Modulator at her, "is going somewhere very safe. If I were you I'd get out of here, sharpish."

She nodded and grabbed Lucie's arm before pressing the button on her Vortex Manipulator, vanishing from sight. Split-seconds later I did the same.


	120. Normal

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Normal**

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><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter follows on directly from The Plan That Backfired, which I think was chapter 35 :)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 21

Location: The Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko

Date: 27190.9217/oli

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><p>"<em><strong>Are you girls ready?" River shouted from the Console Room. A little way along the corridor Evie and Jenny winced in unison, their dark glasses and slightly stooped stances indicating that they were still recovering from the night before. The Doctor had been right; a couple of sips of the Pixilquin Vodka had been enough to send both girls completely out of it.<strong>_

_**Jenny had been affected much worse than her sister, but Evie felt guilty for getting them into this mess. Added to the horrific hangover she was suffering with, the last thing the young woman wanted to do was go on some kind of archaeological expedition to the base of the Diamond Coral Reefs of Kataa Flo Ko.**_

* * *

><p>"Hurry up, girls!" Mum called over her shoulder as we trudged along the long stretch of blinding white sand that ran along the coastline.<p>

It stretched further than we could see, but it was so bright that my eyes were stinging, even behind the dark sunglasses I was wearing. Mum and Dad had no sympathy for Jenny and me – not that we really deserved it; especially me. It would have been nice though.

I tripped over nothing in particular and landed, spread-eagled in the sand. I heard the unmistakable sounds of my parents' laughter and scrambled to my feet, growling in annoyance.

"Enjoy your trip?" Dad called cheerfully. "Where's our postcard."

"Get stuffed." I muttered under my breath, not dignifying his comment with a proper answer.

They carried on laughing as Jenny and I followed them further along the beach. The walk seemed to be taking forever and, if I hadn't been so hungover, I would probably have enjoyed it. My only consoling thought was that I was probably getting a tan.

Finally they stopped and in unison Jenny and I dropped onto the sand, lying next to each other and stretching out in the heat.

"Come on." Mum tried to chivvy us along enthusiastically. "It's not far now. The reefs are just below that ridge. The tide's out and I think we'll have a good four hours before it comes in and stops us."

"We'll wait here." Jenny suggested, not moving. "You two have fun."

Mum laughed. "No way. I need you two to take measurements."

I groaned. Taking measurements was the most boring thing Mum could have asked us to do. It involved pacing backwards and forwards, measuring distances to the tiniest increment and noting them down on a map. It was brain-numbing work – but something that needed immense concentration at the same time.

"No one forced vodka down your necks, did they?" Mum pointed out cheerfully. I glared at her.

"You are pure evil."

"I try." She agreed with a chuckle.

Reluctantly Jenny and I scrambled down the almost sheer cliff face after Mum and Dad. I slipped and slid the last five feet or so, landing with a thud on my bum at the bottom. Before anyone could say anything, let alone start laughing I raised my sunglasses and shot them a warning look. Heeding the warning, no one spoke.

Instead I stood up, dusted myself down and we continued along the rocky ground to the entrance to a large cave.

"I thought you said they were Coral Reefs." I pointed out as the light suddenly dimmed and Jenny and I were forced to remove our sunglasses.

"They are… sort of." Mum said with a shrug. "Well, not really. They're built into the cave of the Red Priestess; right at the bottom where the cave meets the sea."

"So they're in no way a Coral Reef at all?" Jenny clarified.

Mum rolled her eyes. "Come on."

We followed until she stopped, dropping her bag and scrabbling around inside it. A map was thrust into my hands, while Jenny was handed a tape measure. While the parents go on with whatever they were doing, talking in hushed voices – occasionally breaking into a heated argument – and darting around the cave.

Finally Mum seemed happy with the measurements we'd made and allowed us to sit down and have a break. She and Dad moved to the edge of the cave, looking down at the drop at the edge. The tide was still far enough away to allow them to jump into the gap safely. For once I didn't complain when we were ordered to stay. Instead Jenny and I settled down for a nap while we waited for them to return.

x-x

"Wake up!" Mum shouted urgently, shaking my shoulders violently. I jerked awake, blinking stupidly up at her. Suddenly I realised that for some reason I was soaking wet. "Come on!"

Jenny and Dad were already sprinting away from us out of the cave. The tide was rushing in quickly, surging towards us. Grabbing my hand, Mum dragged me after them, away from the oncoming water.

It broke over our feet, creeping higher and higher each time it hit us. By the time we reached the cliff, our feet were no longer touching the ground. Dad reached down and hauled Mum out, Jenny doing the same for me.

Coughing, I sat on the sand at the top, not caring that it was sticking to me; coating me completely. Mum collapsed beside me and on the other side Jenny dropped to the ground. Dad paced behind us, muttering about cutting things fine and always dancing with death.

I laughed, unable to stop myself as I looked at the two women on either side of me. They were soaking wet and covered in sand. As I laughed, they watched me curiously. Then, slowly, they both started laughing as well.

"What's so funny?" Dad demanded, dropping to the ground beside Mum.

"This… us… everything." I told him between giggles. "If you ignore why we're here, then we're just like a normal family, aren't we?"

"Normal?" Dad asked, sounding disgusted.

"Yeah… normal." Jenny agreed nodding. "I like that."


	121. Invisible

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Invisible**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: So this is from River's POV again because it's a little Evie chapter. Here it is! :)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 6

Location: Hydrentis Calryan, Medusa Cascade

Date: 1793/p5

I walked along, my arm linked with Mum's and took in the sighs around us calmly. Dad and Evie were behind us. I glanced over my shoulder and smiled fondly, watching my daughter swinging her grandfather's hand wildly and asking him questions non-stop. Dad looked a little flustered by her chattering.

"It's lovely to see you both, don't get me wrong." Mum said, squeezing my arm and smiling. "But is there any particular reason you decided to take us on holiday?"

Shaking my head I shrugged and pushed my sunglasses onto my head, catching my hair behind it. "No, no reason…"

"Why don't I believe that?" Mum asked, laughing softly.

"I don't know."

Comfortable silence fell between us again as we carried on walking along the street. Market stalls lined the dusty road, the native people trying to sell their knickknacks and delicacies to the tourists who wandered between them interestedly. There were carved figures of the Hixspallon Royal family, traditional jewellery and different kinds of food.

Mum pulled me over to a stall selling pretty objects and picked up a small, fabric box. She turned it over in her hands and became engaged in a conversation with the Hixspallon behind the stall.

While she haggled, I turned and scanned the mingling people for Dad and Evie. For a moment or two I was worried as they were nowhere to be seen. Then I sighed and rolled my eyes, spotting them emerging through the throng.

"What on…" I started exasperatedly. "Dad?"

"Look what Gramps bought me!" Evie said delightedly, her arms full of items. "I've got a Pitzii and a Mumluk and a Phelgraan and three Bashuno beads and a lucky Ixor box."

"Dad!" I repeated, sighing again. "Evie, I've told you before. You can't demand that Gramps buys you things. It's not nice!"

Evie pouted at me. "I didn't demand! I asked nicely. The Doctor says that if you ask nicely people will do what you want… most of the time."

"That Doctor has a lot to answer for…" Mum muttered, raising an eyebrow at me. She folded her arms over her chest. "Rory, why do you let her walk all over you?"

"I–" He started.

"You have to stand up to her, Dad. She's a six-year-old child."

"But, I–"

"Rory, you can't keep giving into her. River's right… she'll end up spoilt."

"Wait, I just–"

"Gramps likes buying me things, don't you Gramps?"

"Yes, but I–"

"No, he doesn't." I told Evie quickly. "Well, I'm sure he does, but it's not fair on him. You cannot demand that he buys you things."

"Can I just–"

"But I wanted them."

"Evie just–"

"No, Evie." Mum told her, crouching down to look her in the face. "You can't always have things that you want when you want them."

"We–"

"Listen to your grandmother." I agreed, nodding seriously. Evie was pouting even more, sticking her bottom lip out and furrowing her eyebrows. "It's not polite."

"I wan–"

I sighed and looked along the street. "Come on… let's go and get something to eat. It's nearly dinner time and I'm absolutely starving." As I turned on the spot, I caught dad's unimpressed face staring at me. His mouth was slightly open as though he couldn't believe what was going on. "What?"

"Am I actually invisible?" He asked.

"What?" I repeated. Mum, Evie and I were all looking at him as though he'd gone mad.

"You three… all talking about me and me not able to get a word in edgeways." He continued, thoroughly unimpressed.

I grinned and chuckled. Mum laughed, throwing her arms around him and giving him a kiss. Evie hugged his legs until he picked her up, holding her with one arm.

"You stupid face." Mum muttered, kissing him again. "You should be used to that by now."

He shrugged and nodded, screwing up his face slightly. "I guess so."

"Right, now that's sorted… lunch?" I asked smiling broadly.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I really like this chapter… I just imagine this is how Rory's life is most of the time – not being able to get a word in between the three women in his life while they talk at him and about him, rather than to him! **_

_**Anyway, I hope you like it too! :D**_


	122. A Means to an End

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Means to an End**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter is written from three prompts, **__**Shifuni: "We should have a chapter with Evie and her baby :)", **__**NaviRebel16: "**__**The birth of Evie's daughter**__**" and the frozen cherry:**__** "**__**more about Evie's pregnancy/daughter with the master and what happens with Jack."**_

_**It's going to be in a slightly different format from usual, switching between Evie and River's POVs, because that's the only way the idea I had for this chapter would work! I hope it works and I hope you enjoy it!**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 39

Location: Leadworth, Earth/London, Earth

Date: 2037/2009

* * *

><p><em><strong>The doorbell rang urgently. Evie groaned and sat up reluctantly. She waited for the tell-tale sound of her Mother's footsteps going to answer it, but no sound came. <strong>_

"_**Mum?" She called. When there was no answer, the young woman hauled herself off the sofa and shuffled out of the living room.**_

_**She was nine months and three days pregnant and exhausted. Any day now her baby was going to be born and Evie couldn't wait. She was desperate to give birth. Being this huge was just uncomfortable.**_

"_**Hello?" She asked snappily, opening the front door. **_

_**A tall, well-built blonde woman smiled at her. Evie raised an eyebrow questioningly but, before she could ask anything the woman's hand darted out and injected something into Evie's neck. **_

_**The young woman gave a squawk of surprise and indignation before she crumpled in a heap at the other woman's feet. Motioning towards the windowless, black van parked at the end of the Songs' drive, two more women emerged and between them they carried the unconscious Time Lady to the vehicle.**_

* * *

><p>River –<p>

"No, Mum… she's just… gone!" I snapped into the phone, darting between the different rooms in the house looking for any clue as to where Evie might be. "The front door was wide open but she's not here. There's no sign of a break-in, nothing's gone…"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "You don't think… what the Doctor said about the pregnancy triggering the memories he suppressed all those years ago… you don't think she's remembered about the children, do you? What if that's done something to her?"

"No…" I hesitated. "I don't think… I hope… I am going to murder Jack for this… as many times as possible."

Mum ignored my threats, still thinking practically. "Have you told the Doctor she's gone?"

"No. I can't get through to him." I told Mum quickly. I bit my thumb nail anxiously. "I don't know what to do."

"Speak to Donna; see if she's seen Evie. Then talk to Gwen." Mum advised me. "I'll try and get through to Sarah Jane and Martha. You know Evie; she's probably just freaked out at the thought of responsibility and gone off for a while."

I sighed, said goodbye and hung up, hoping she was right. Somehow I didn't believe that Evie had just gone off because she was scared. But until the Doctor turned up, I was lost.

* * *

><p>Evie –<p>

Slowly I opened my eyes and sat up. At least I tried to, but found I couldn't move. My arms and legs seemed to be tied down. Crying out in horror, I struggled, but it was useless. Figures moved about, just out of my eye line – I could hear footsteps and low voices all around me.

The woman who'd been on my doorstep moved closer until she was standing beside me, smiling down nastily. She was clutching something in her hand. It wasn't until she forced it onto the fourth finger on my left hand that I realised it was a ring. With my arms bound I couldn't see it.

"What's that?" I demanded, struggling.

"A ring… the Master's ring." She said. I gasped, struggling even more.

"Get it… off!" I demanded wildly. "Get it off!"

The woman laughed. "No. You killed the Master, but some of us never lost faith in him as you did. We've waited so long for the right moment and now it is here."

"You don't… you can't…"

"Tonight the Master is returning. And you, Miss Song, are going to help us. Well, not you exactly; you're not important. We need the Master's child."

A horrible, cold feeling spread through my body at her words and I gave a small sob. "Stay away from my baby."

"We won't harm the child." She assured me. "It is part of him."

"No!" I screamed, struggling even more as another woman approached with a large needle. "No!"

She plunged it into my arm and I felt the world spinning and blurring. I tried to fight but it was pointless and everything dissolved into darkness once more.

* * *

><p>River –<p>

The Doctor was busy typing something into the scanner of the TARDIS console, but I was too worried to ask what he was doing. Jumping around the console he jabbed at the controls, raising levers and hammering on buttons. He muttered to himself under his breath and stared at the scanner screen wildly.

"Right… I've locked onto her DNA signal… it's so unique that the TARDIS can trace her wherever she is." He explained quickly. I barely heard him, pacing around the console platform.

"Have you found her?" I asked suddenly, looking up as his words sank in.

The TARDIS jerked and bucked wildly and the Doctor grinned. "The old girl's just as eager to find our daughter as we are."

"Yes, but have you found her?" I repeated, grabbing onto his arm. I didn't care that my nails were digging into his arm.

"I have. We're on our way there now." He told me quickly. The TARDIS came to an abrupt halt, hurling us sideways. "Yes!"

He leapt from the platform and wrenched the doors open, disappearing from sight before I could even move.

* * *

><p>Evie –<p>

As soon as I woke up I knew something was wrong. I felt different. Looking around I realised what was the matter in seconds.

The room was empty and I was no longer tied down to the table; I wasn't even on the table, I'd been dumped in a heap on the floor. I no longer appeared to be pregnant either. Blood spattered the floor around me and my stomach wasn't as rounded as it had been. Wincing with the immense pain that overcame me every time I moved, I tried to make my way to the door.

After a couple of steps I collapsed on the ground. I let out a bloodcurdling scream of pain and despair and frustration.

"Evie?" I recognise the voice that had shouted in response to my cry. Seconds later Dad threw himself through the door and dropped to the ground cradling me gently in his arms as I clutched weakly at his jacket. "Oh… Evie…"

"Dad… my baby…"

"Doctor? E-Evie!" Mum appeared in the doorway as well, what little colour there was in her face draining at once. "Oh my god…"

"I want my baby!" I cried, grabbing at Mum as she knelt beside Dad. "Find my baby… I want my baby!"

* * *

><p>River –<p>

The Doctor's face clouded furiously as he stroked Evie's hair gently. I blinked at him in horror, trying not to look at the blood on the floor all around us. Whoever had done this to our daughter obviously hadn't cared whether she lived or died; they'd abandoned her here without a second through.

And whoever they were, they were definitely going to pay for what they'd done.

"I feel like history is repeating itself…" The Doctor muttered furiously. "People keep kidnapping the babies of people I love. When are they going to learn that that is a very, very dangerous thing to do?"

"Is she going to be OK? Doctor!" I demanded, shaking his arm violently as he stared into space. "Evie? Is she going to be alright?"

He glanced at me blankly. "She's lost too much blood…"

"But she'll regenerate?"

"We need to get her to the TARDIS." The Doctor said, not answering my question.

He rose to his feet and lifted her in his arms as though she weighed no more than a child. Without speaking again, he headed out of the room and back to the time machine, laying her gently on the console platform.

I moved to kneel beside her once more, but the Doctor held me back, shaking his head. "No, leave her."

"We can't just…" I started but he grabbed my arm.

"We need to find her baby."

"And whoever did this." I added, clenching my jaw, my eyes flashing dangerously.

"And whoever did this." He agreed, his tone displaying a quiet fury which was far more dangerous than when he was shouting and screaming.

* * *

><p>Evie –<p>

I awoke with a start, heat surging through my entire body. This time the regeneration process didn't take me by surprise as much as it had the last time. This time I knew what to expect.

I braced myself as the golden light poured out of me, filling the console room with light. I hadn't even thought about the fact that I was on board the TARDIS until now, let alone wondered how I'd got here. There was no sight of Mum and Dad anywhere. Briefly I wondered where they could have gone, but then the regeneration took over and I felt like I was exploding.

As soon as the process was over I collapsed, panting and breathless. For some reason I didn't feel as drained as I did the last time I'd regenerated. I assumed that was because I'd regenerated inside the TARDIS and she'd helped me.

Not even caring what I looked like, I crawled to the chair beside the console and pulled myself up, burying my head in my hands and waiting for my parents to return. Something cold and hard scratched my cheek as I rubbed my face and I stared at my left hand. The Master's ring was still on my wedding finger and I ripped it off, throwing it furiously across the room with a high-pitched scream.

* * *

><p>River –<p>

"There are just some people who think they can go around doing what they want, taking what they want and they'll get away with it." The Doctor ranted as we strode through the corridors of the building we'd found Evie in. "But they've got another thing coming. No one messes with my family and gets away with it."

"That's all well and good… but where are we going?" I demanded, jogging to keep up with him.

He pointed to the sonic screwdriver. "It's tracing Evie's genes. It's only a weak signal, but I've got it. The baby is still here."

We moved quickly through the winding corridors of the building, the Doctor bursting through doors in the hope of finding our grandchild. It took a long time but finally we arrived in the right place.

The Doctor threw open a door, glaring around at the assembled group of women so ferociously that several of them stepped back quickly. They were gathered around an incubator, inside which was a baby. Evie's baby.

Before he could stop me, I'd pulled my gun out of its holster and shot four of the women dead. Even then the Doctor did nothing to stop me shooting. Finally there was just one left.

"Why?" The Doctor demanded, stepping forwards and speaking in a low voice.

"We needed the child to bring him back. Its mother may have killed him, but the child will return her father to life." The woman told us. I felt a surge of something in my chest and gasped. 'Her'… it was a girl.

"Jack isn't dead." The Doctor spat, closing the gap between him and the woman.

"Jack?" The woman looked confused. "This child's father is the Master."

* * *

><p>Evie –<p>

My strength had returned and I was about to leave the TARDIS and go in search of my baby when the doors opened and Mum appeared, something cradled carefully in her arms. I gave a loud sob and rushed towards them, accepting the baby she handed to me.

"Your daughter…" Mum murmured, unable to keep the smile off her face as she guided me back to the chair beside the console.

I sat down, unable to tear my eyes away from my baby. She was the most beautiful, most perfect thing I'd ever seen. Mum sat beside me, stroking my hair and leaning her head against mine.

"She's gorgeous." She whispered.

"Jessica Melody Song…" I murmured. The name I'd had in my mind for months seemed to fit her perfectly. She wriggled slightly in my arms, opening her eyes and blinking up at me. "Hello, Jess."

There was a loud bang and the Doctor appeared in the TARDIS. He had slammed the doors behind him and was striding towards us, looking furious. Mum stood up quickly, moving between us and placing her hands on his chest, calming him down.

"The Master?" Dad snapped at me, looking more hurt than anything else. "The Master, Evie?"

"I'm sorry…" I murmured, closing my eyes and feeling tears sliding down my cheeks. "It was on the Valiant…"

"I was there, remember?" He reminded me. "I didn't want to believe… I tried to convince myself that it wasn't you; that it was just someone who looked similar."

"I'm sorry."

Dad sighed. "And now he's back and he'll bring back Rasillon and the Time Lords and I'll die saving Wilf."

"That's already happened." I pointed out, looking up and hoping that he was beginning to forgive me.

"I know… and now we know why."

Mum looked between us slightly warily. Sensing that the Doctor's anger had receded, she took him by the hand and pulled him over to where I was sitting.

"Come and meet your granddaughter." She told him soothingly. "Doctor, this is Jessica Melody Song."

He smiled and I handed Jessica to him, watching as he cradled her gently, looking delightedly into her face. He looked up at me and his smile dropped slightly. He groaned.

"Oh, that is really not fair." He protested.

"What?" I demanded. "I wasn't going to call her Doctor, was I?"

Dad shook his head. "No, not that. It's a beautiful name. A brilliant name in fact. It's just… you're ginger. I've always wanted to be ginger."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I REALLY hope you like this, guys… because I've just re-read it and feel totally evil. I don't know why I feel like I have to be so mean to Evie… but I just don't think things would be easy for her. Being kidnapped and nearly losing Jessica seemed like the natural thing to happen…**_


	123. And a Chicken

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: And a Chicken**

Age: 23

Location: Venice, Italy, Earth

Date: 1749

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Doctor had only just got over the shock of realising that Donna and Jack were a couple and now here he was walking along a street in eighteenth century Venice with them as though it was the most natural thing in the world. <strong>_

_**He was very uncomfortable with the situation, especially the couple's tendency to start kissing without warning. River smiled at him and slipped her hand into his as Jack leant down and kissed Donna again, causing the Doctor to tense up. **_

"_**Why did I agree to this?" He demanded in a low hiss. "How is this a good idea?"**_

"_**Your daughters wanted a family holiday." River reminded him with a smile. "And after you went back in time and punched Jack in the face on his way to meet Donna for their first date, I'd say you owe them."**_

* * *

><p>Jenny and I squealed with delight as we opened the TARDIS doors and emerged into the bright sunlight of the late afternoon. I'd convinced Dad to bring us back to Venice – after the last time I'd been here and almost ended up as a vampire fish I decided he should show me the real city.<p>

It looked just as we expected. It was beautiful.

Jack and Donna led the way through the narrow streets, crossing the pretty bridges over the canals and heading for the centre of the city. Mum and Dad followed them and I could tell that Dad was struggling with the sight of my godfather and his former companion being all lovey-dovey. Now he knew how I felt when he and Mum were flirting.

Jenny giggled and pointed into the canal. I turned and looked where she was pointing, spotting a gondola with two handsome young men in it. They beamed up at us, winking. We smiled and waved back, causing Dad to glare at the men and pull us away.

"This corset is killing me…" I muttered, wriggling and trying to move the bodice of my authentic outfit into a more comfortable position.

Mum slapped at my hands. "Stop it! If you fiddle with that top any more you're going to fall straight out of the top of it!" She turned to Dad, pulling a face. "Sorry, Doctor."

"But would that be such a terrible thing?" A voice asked from behind us.

Jenny, Mum, Dad and I whirled round at once, differing expressions on our faces as we looked to see who had spoken. Jenny looked slightly amused, but was trying to hide her smirk because Dad looked as though he was about to punch the man who had commented in the face. Mum, too looked highly annoyed by the comment. I couldn't decide whether I, too, was angry or whether I was intrigued. Clearly the man who had spoken was incredibly self-confident.

"Excuse me?" Mum demanded as she turned, fixing him with an intense stare. Then she gasped. "But that's…" Mum muttered, narrowing her eyes. "He looks just like…"

"You!" Dad said, pointing at the man wildly.

"DOCTOR!" Donna shouted, her naturally loud voice even more amplified by the narrow street.

"Giacomo Casanova at your service." The man said with a low, flourishing bow. Then he took one of my hands in his right hand and one of Jenny's in his left, kissing the backs of our fingers lightly.

Jenny and I looked at each other and, incredibly embarrassingly, squealed with excitement. Mum looked less than impressed and Dad looked down-right annoyed. As Casanova reached for Mum's hand, Dad moved her quickly out of his reach.

Their interest raised by the fact that we'd stopped walking and were facing in a completely different direction, Donna and Jack ambled back towards us, their fingers interlinked. She was giggling at something he said and he laughed, slinging an arm around her shoulders and kissing her temple.

"What's the hold-up n–" Jack started with a smile. Then his eyes fell on Casanova and it dropped from his face.

"Giacomo Casanova." Casanova informed him, leaning forward and brushing his lips over the back of Donna's hand. "Enchanted."

"Oi!" Donna muttered, pulling her hand out of his grasp, although not as urgently as she could have done. "What did you say your name was?"

"Casanova, Mum!" Jenny squeaked excitedly. "The Casanova!"

"But he looks like… the Doctor… when he had his last face." Donna said, waving her hands around.

I smirked at the way she'd described it, but then looked closely at the man, her words turning over in my mind. I supposed there was a slight resemblance between the man and Dad's previous incarnation, although they were clearly very different people. But Dad was Dad and Casanova was… well, Casanova.

"Mum? You cannot mean that this beautiful creature is your Mother?" Casanova cried theatrically, looking between Jenny and Donna with wide-eyes. "She looks far too young."

Donna went scarlet and Jack puffed himself up visibly, glaring at him. I grinned, folding my arms and looking between the members of my family in immense amusement. This was better than Earth soap operas; I wondered who was going to punch Casanova first. Although it would be a shame if they damaged his pretty face…

"So, who do I have the pleasure of addressing?" Casanova asked smiling at us. Somehow he managed to completely block Dad and Jack out of the conversation without making it overly apparent. It was quite a talent.

"Doctor River Song." Mum informed him quickly, asserting her authority over the young man. She stared at him carefully, studying his reactions. Then, deciding that she would speak for all of us, she continued, pointing at people as she introduced them. "My husband, the Doctor and our daughter, Evie. Donna Noble and her fiancé, Captain Jack Harkness and the Doctor and Donna's daughter, Jenny."

Casanova feigned astonishment, much to my delight. I was thoroughly enjoying his dramatics.

"Again I am astonished that one so young could have a grown daughter. And a rather beautiful daughter at that… you should both consider yourselves very lucky women." He told Mum and Donna.

Dad cleared his throat. "Well, it was… interesting… to meet you, sir. But we must be going."

"Are you attending the wedding ball of the daughter of Senator Gardesano?" Casanova pressed, looking me straight in the eye.

I couldn't stop the smirk creeping over my face, or my voice from answering his question before anyone else had the chance. "Yes, we are."

"Then allow me the great honour of accompanying you." He said, sweeping Jenny and I along with him and leaving Mum, Dad, Donna and Jack to hurry along in our wake.

"I can't believe you did that!" Jenny grinned, whispering in my ear as the man darted off to get drinks. "You're going to be in so much trouble."

I shrugged. Donna and Jack were nowhere to be seen. Mum and Dad were distracted, dancing to the lively music played by the band at the other end of the courtyard. I grinned, knowing how embarrassed Mum would be about the flamboyant style of movement Dad had chosen to employ; his crimson coat whipping around him as he danced. I could almost sense her relief when the tempo slowed and the dance style changed.

"Who cares?" I sighed, leaning against the cold stone pillar. "It's Giacomo Casanova! Who in their right mind turns down a blatant invitation to a ball with him!"

"A sensible person?" Jenny laughed.

I pretended to look around me and then shrugged. "Can't see one of them."

She shook her head. "You're going to get yourself into so much trouble!"

"I hope so!" I told her with a grin.

"Evie!" Mum called, appearing at my shoulder and making me jump. "Your father wants you to find out how old Casanova is… if he's thirty or older your father owes him a chicken."

Jenny blinked at her. "He… what?"

"There was a bet about who could drink the most wine and walk along the edge of the canal without falling in. Your father lost. Naturally."

"Of course." I muttered, rolling my eyes. As I glanced sideways, I noticed that Casanova was making his way back towards me through the crowd. "OK, bye bye."

"Evie…"

"Calm down." I told her with a grin. "I'm under no delusions that he's 'the one'. But how many people can honestly say they've kissed Casanova."

"Round here, most of them."

"Yeah, well, whatever. Not hurting anyone, am I?"

"What about Tom?"

I faltered. I'd managed to forget about my boyfriend until now. But having my mother remind me about him caused a knot to develop in my stomach. Suddenly I felt like the worst person in the universe, because I realised I didn't care. Mum arched an eyebrow at me and smirked. At that moment I realised that she'd intended me to feel guilty as soon as she mentioned his name. The problem was… I didn't.

"I hate you sometimes." I muttered.

She grinned and stalked away. "No you don't."

"Ladies, drinks." Casanova said with a bow, appearing between Jenny and I. His eyes never left mine as he smiled broadly and offered each of us one of the crystal glasses of deep red wine in his hands. Jenny took hers gratefully and took a sip, turning to survey the room.

I looked at the glass for a moment before grabbing the front of Casanova's elaborated ruffled shirt in one hand and pulling him roughly towards me. As our lips collided, the glass dropped from his hand, shattering instantly as it hit the ground. I tangled one hand in his messy dark hair and felt the weight of his body on mine as he pushed me up against the marble pillar behind me. My eyes flew open as his mouth moved to my neck and I saw four figures striding across the room towards us, matching furious looks on their faces.

"Run!" Jenny murmured urgently beside me. I grinned at her.

"Come on!" I muttered, grabbing him by the hand and starting to run.

Feeling ridiculously carefree and full of life, I threw back my head and laughed as we dodged through the crowds of people dancing. Beside me, Casanova laughed too. Kicking my shoes off, I abandoned them where they were and threw myself round the corner, ducking into a doorway.

"Where are we going?" Casanova asked, his hands on my waist and his lips on my neck again.

"I have no idea." I giggled as he recaptured my lips.

"So why are we running?"

"I didn't want my family to get to you. They're not exactly… forgiving."

"Running sounds like a good plan, then." Casanova agreed with a wink. "Shall we keep going?"

I sighed. "Always with the running…"

Taking my hand, he pulled me out of the doorway and we ran, stopping every now and then when he pushed me up against a wall and kissed me. I blocked all other thoughts out of my mind, living in the moment and concentrating on the feelings flooding through me; there would be time for guilt later. Probably. Possibly.

I tried to grip the wall with my fingertips, whatever Casanova was doing was sending sparks through my entire body. It was lucky that I had one leg wrapped around him, or I was sure I would have collapsed in a heap on the ground.

Before I knew what was happening, I heard the unmistakable sound of the TARDIS materialising. Casanova looked bewildered by the sound and even more shocked as the blue police box materialised a little way along the narrow street. As I gasped and bit my lip, the door opened and Mum's furious face appeared in the gap.

With a tender kiss, Casanova gently lowered my leg from his waist just in time for Mum to reach us. She whipped out her gun, aiming it straight at his head, much to his confusion and alarm. I rolled my eyes and pushed it away, rearranging my dress and placing myself between Mum and Casanova.

"Oh relax, Mother, Casanova's just going." I breathed, before turning and kissing him. "I'll see you around, lover boy."

With a wink, I faced the TARDIS once more, grabbing Mum by the arm and pulling her towards the police box with me. I was under no illusions about the epic proportions of trouble I was in. As soon as the doors closed, Dad sent us spiralling into the Vortex and at once I had Mum, Dad, Jack and Donna shouting at me, their comments ranging from my irresponsibility to the consequences of meddling with the course of history to my apparent lack of morals. I just shrugged and rolled my eyes, folding my arms and slumping further down in the seat.

When they finally got bored of shouting, I stood up and stalked out of the console room. Apparently they weren't quite bored because Mum was still shouting after me as I knocked on Jenny's bedroom door. Not bothering to wait for an answer I went in and threw myself down beside her on the bed. Lying on my back I turned to look at her. Jenny turned her head too, so that we were looking directly into each other's faces.

"Was it worth it?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

I grinned at her, biting my lip. "So worth it."


	124. Preconceived Opinions

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Preconceived Opinions**

_**A/N: This was written from a prompt by **__**DoctorWhoGal who said, "I would love it if Evie met Rose Tyler. I wonder what Evie's reaction would be to her?"**_

_**So here it is! :)**_

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><p><span>Age<span>: 20

Location: London, Earth

Date: December 26th 2006

Not long after I'd told myself that I'd follow the Doctor's advice and live in the present, I found myself bored on the TARDIS. Being bored is generally dangerous where I'm concerned anyway, but bored on the TARDIS with access to all sorts of information is doubly dangerous.

Although I'd deleted all the information the TARDIS had given me on Dad's former companions off the data chip on my Vortex Manipulator, I was still curious about them. Well, specifically I was curious about Rose Tyler.

She seemed to have been so important to Dad that he'd given her the duplicate that had been created during Donna's metacrisis. Technically, I reasoned as I thought about it, that Duplicate had been Donna and Dad's son; my brother. So… if he and Rose were an item, did that make her my sister-in-law? I shook the thought away, deciding that my family was confusing enough as it was without adding people to it.

Mum and Dad had gone somewhere that sounded dull, so I'd stayed behind on the TARDIS with strict instructions as to what I could and couldn't do and touch. As soon as I'd waved them off with Dad's orders not to answer the phone ringing in my ears, I moved to the scanner screen.

"Hello, old girl." I muttered, patting the console gently. "Can you show me information on Rose Tyler?"

The screen began to flash as images and text compiled itself into a useful order. The hologram beam beside me whirred into life and a life-sized image of the young woman appeared beside me.

"Rose Marion Tyler, born February 25th 1986… daughter of Jacqueline Andrea Suzette Tyler née Prentice, born February 1st 1967 and Peter Alan "Pete" Tyler, born September 15th 1954 and died November 7th 1987… Rose attended Jericho Street Junior School and then Jericho Street Comprehensive. She was part of the gymnastics team. Although she performed passed eight GCSEs (one A, two Bs, four Cs and a D in science) and planned to do A-Levels (English, French and Art) Rose left school without starting the course." I read quickly, before raising my eyebrows. "Bloody hell you know a lot about her, old girl."

There was a cheerful rumbling around the console room and the lights on the console flashed several times. I chuckled and returned my attention to the information on the scanner screen.

"Do you have this much information on me?" I asked curiously. In seconds the hologram of Rose had been replaced by an image of me looking rather irritated. My hands were on my hips and I seemed to be scowling at whoever was taking the picture. The scanner screen blinked with information and I had to admit I was impressed. "Nice one. But… OK, back to business. Where would I go if I wanted to… see Rose Tyler? Reading up on her is one thing, but actually seeing her in the flesh is totally different."

The TARDIS gave a rumble, as though she thought it was a very bad idea. I sighed and tried to reassure her that it would be fine.

"I won't say anything to her, I promise." I assured the TARDIS. "I just want to see what she's like. She's in a parallel universe now, isn't she? It's not like I'll ever get the chance to meet her otherwise. Please?"

Apparently grudgingly the TARDIS put a set of coordinates onto the scanner screen for me. I grinned and patted her console affectionately, before quickly typing the string of numbers into my Vortex Manipulator.

"I owe you." I told her as I pressed the button on my wrist strap and vanished through the Vortex.

I found myself standing on a street corner, apparently on an estate of some sort. It made sense, seeing as Rose had lived on the Powell Estate. Wondering where I should go from here, I turned and tried to work out where I was. Before I could take a step, I heard someone wolf whistling at me and spun on the spot, glaring at whoever had made the noise.

"Alright darlin'?" A young man called, winking at me.

I rolled my eyes and turned my back on him quickly. No sooner had I done so that I spotted none other than Rose Tyler herself, sitting in a café across the road. I guessed that she was with her mother, because although I couldn't see the face of the woman she was with, she was blonde.

Taking the table behind theirs and sitting with my back to them, I ordered a coffee and listened to their conversation with interest, trying to gage when I was. It was obviously winter, because it was freezing cold and there were Christmas decorations up. I stopped thinking as Rose lowered her voice, indicating that she was about to start talking about something she didn't want overheard.

"I'm going… with the Doctor… tomorrow." She said firmly.

"But Rose!" Her mother complained. "It's Boxing Day. You spent Christmas Day up on some alien ship and then you're going straight away?"

"The Doctor doesn't do domestic."

I couldn't help smirking triumphantly at these words, thinking about how domestic Dad was now. Somehow it felt like a victory, although I wasn't entirely sure why.

"So you're going to disappear off for another year, are you? What about me?" Jackie Tyler snapped. "I'm your mother, Rose… but you don't give me a second thought. It's all about him."

"Oh, mum!" Rose sighed. It was the same tone that I used when my mother was nagging me about something and was usually accompanied by a dismissive roll of the eyes. "It's not like that."

"I bet it is." I muttered under my breath.

Apparently, though, it wasn't as quiet as I'd thought because all of a sudden there was a tap on my shoulder and I turned reluctantly. I found myself face to face with Jackie Tyler. She was an older version of her daughter and looked exactly as she had done on the images the TARDIS had showed me.

"Excuse me?" She demanded, looking annoyed. Behind her, Rose was looking at me through slightly narrowed eyes.

"What?" I mumbled. "Oh, sorry… I was… sorry."

"I'm trying to have a private conversation with my daughter, if you don't mind."

"Yeah, sorry… I didn't mean to intrude, Jackie, I–" My eyes widened as I realised what I'd just said and I swore under my breath.

"How d'you know my name?" She demanded.

"I guessed?" I tried, knowing that she wouldn't fall for it. Then I sighed, oh well, I'd already messing things up; might as well go the whole hog now. "The Doctor."

"T-The… The Doctor?" Rose murmured, standing up and moving to sit in the seat opposite me. I was trapped now, with one of them on either side of me. "How do you know the Doctor."

"It's… it's a long story."

"I've got all afternoon." Rose said, motioning for the waitress to fill up my drink.

Shaking my head I tried to stand up. "I can't. I'm from his future; his per– I'm from his future."

"The future? How far in the future?"

"It's complicated."

"Tell me!" She demanded, gripping my arm.

"I can't tell you, Rose."

Rose clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes. "His future is my future and I don't care how complicated it is, I want to know who you are."

"It's not." I blurted out, annoyed at her supposition that she had to be involved.

"Not what?"

"Not Rose's future." I told Jackie. "I've never met her before. I was messing around with the TARDIS data banks and decided to look up the Doctor's past companions. I was curious… I wanted to see what Rose was like. I never intended for you to see me."

"Where am I, then?"

I shrugged guiltily. "I don't know." I lied. "I was born in the 51st Century… 5090. There were other companions after Rose… but I can't say who or how many or when. And you can't ask me."

There was a silence. I bit my lip anxiously looking between them. When it got too much, I stood up and tried to make my way out of the café. Rose reached out and grabbed my arm, stopping me leaving.

"You're not going anywhere. Not 'til we've seen the Doctor."

I smiled weakly. "Sorry, that's not going to happen."

Pressing the button on the Vortex Manipulator I dematerialised into the Vortex. If Rose mentioned the meeting to the Doctor – and he remembered – I was going to be in SO much trouble.


	125. Getting to Know You

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Getting to Know You**

Age: 28

Location: The Maldovarium

Date: 834.22-r

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><p>I walked into the Maldovarium and spotted the young woman I was looking for at once. She was sitting at the bar, a drink in front of her and looking around slightly nervously. Intrigued, I sat at a table a little way off, ordering a drink of my own and watched her. She tapped her nails on the bar and clutched her glass tightly, shaking her head when the barman offered her a refill.<p>

When she turned around, her eyes met mine but there was no recognition in them. Even more intrigued by this, I decided that I'd kept her waiting long enough and stood up. As I approached, a young man approached her.

"Sorry, I'm meeting someone." She told him quickly as he leant against the bar beside her.

"Yeah, get lost, mate." I ordered, sitting on the stool beside her and motioning for the barman to refill my glass.

Jessica turned to look at me and, I was instantly struck by how young she looked. She couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen. The look she was sending me was completely free from recognition; apparently she didn't know who I was.

"Jessica?" I asked, narrowing my eyes.

"How…?"

"You sent me a message; asked me to meet you here. Although… I don't think you're old enough to be here. How old are you?"

"Fifteen… But…" She looked at me in total bewilderment. "Evie?"

I nodded and took a sip of my drink. "Yep. I'm guessing you haven't actually met me yet, then?"

"Not looking like that… no." She admitted, leaning closer and looking my straight in the eyes. "You… you're so young!"

"I'm thirteen years older than you. This is the fourth time I've seen you, though." I told her with a grin. Then I drained my glass and put it down. "Let's get you out of here before Dorium tells me off."

"Too late, Miss Song." The fat blue man told me with a sigh. I groaned and turned to face him, smiling innocently. "You still owe me for that Hexiron blade, not to mention the damage you caused when that Weevil got loose."

"Technically that wasn't my fault." I pointed out, remembering the incident clearly.

"You distracted the man who was controlling it!"

"Again, not my fault."

"It was your top that got ripped."

"It was your security guard that ripped it." I argued. Then I held my hands up and put my hand into my jacket, pulling out a pouch. I held it out to him, grinning and pulling it out of his reach when he lunged for it. "Are we cool?"

He exhaled in annoyance. "Yes, we're cool."

"Good… catch you later."

I grabbed Jessica's hand and pulled her past the man as he opened the pouch and squealed with glee at his reward for the trouble I'd inadvertently caused. We headed up the metal staircase to the balcony beside the launch hatch. The atmospheric bubble the Maldovarium was floating in caused a slight shimmer at the edges of my vision, causing a sensation like mild sea-sickness in my stomach.

"So, what did you mean you'd never seen me looking like this?" I asked, as casually as I could.

Jessica shrugged and moved away from me, leaning against the railings and staring out into space. "I've only ever met your later regenerations; the next one and beyond."

I stored away the information in my brain; I was able to regenerate, that was useful to know. She was still looking out into the darkness, avoiding meeting my gaze.

"And what's this message about? 'Maldovarium, asap. Jess x' What's wrong?" I asked flipping the cover over my Vortex Manipulator once more when I'd read out the message I'd received.

"Oh… it was a mistake." She said dismissively. "Don't worry about it."

I narrowed my eyes. "What? How can it be a mistake? You obviously sent it to my Vortex Manipulator."

"It arrived too early. Apparently the timelines got a bit messed up. Sorry, dragged you here for no reason." Jessica apologised with a weak shrug.

"So… you want me to just go?"

"Yep, please. You don't want to run into yourself, do you?"

"Well…" I considered the prospect. I was quite intrigued by the thought of seeing my future self – even from a distance.

Jessica smiled, as though reading my mind. "It's not a good idea."

Grabbing my arm, she tapped some coordinates into my Vortex Manipulator and, before I even had time to wonder how she knew where to send me, I was whirling away through time and space.


	126. Not Gonna Take It

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Not Gonna Take It**

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><p><em><strong>AN: this chapter was written from a prompt by the frozen cherry who wanted, "another entry showing her relationship with her grandparents**__**, maybe when she was a teenager and was having parent issues". Here it is!**_

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><p><span>Age<span>: 16

Location: Leadworth, England, Earth

Date: 2018

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><p><em><strong>Evie slammed out of the TARDIS, throwing her bag down on the lawn and leaning back into the police box to finish the argument.<strong>_

"_**And another thing, if I'm such a bloody disappointment then whose fault is that?" She screamed. "Look in the mirror, mother!"**_

_**The teenager ducked as a high-heeled, emerald green shoe came flying through the doorway, narrowly avoiding impaling her head, accompanied by a furious shriek. "You might as well take that, seeing as you ruined the other one you ungrateful little–"**_

"_**Yeah, thanks MUM!" Evie yelled as the TARDIS dematerialised. "Thanks for NOTHING!"**_

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><p>I was screaming obscenities in various alien languages at thin air when someone cleared their throat behind me. I whirled round, no doubt looking like something out of a horror film with a red, blotchy face and mascara-smeared cheeks.<p>

"Well, that was a whole lot of language I never thought I'd hear from my teenage granddaughter."

In seconds I had crossed the grass and buried my face in Gran's shoulder, clinging tightly onto her. She hugged me tightly, stroking my hair and shushing me gently.

"It was Mum, she's such a bloody control freak and I can't deal with her anymore. I don't want to live with her anymore. Can I come and live with you and Gramps please because I hate her." I garbled, not entirely sure if she could understand what I was saying through my sobs.

Gran laughed. "This is the fourth time you've asked me that this month, sweetie. When you've both calmed down things will look better."

"They won't! It's shit and I hate her."

"You don't hate her." Gran assured me, pulling me towards the kitchen door.

Gramps looked up from the chopping board on the kitchen counter and raised an eyebrow. Putting down the knife he sighed, wiped his hands on his apron and held out his arms. I fell into them, hugging him tightly.

"River again?" He asked Gran over my head. She sighed loudly and presumably nodded. "Hey, come on… I'm making spag bol… your favourite, right?"

"Yeah…" I agreed with a sniff.

"So calm down, breathe and go and watch TV with your Gran for a while." He ordered calmly. "You can stay here until things calm down."

"Thanks Gramps…" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Curling up on the sofa beside Gran, I didn't complain as she flicked to the omnibus of Eastenders. She cheerfully began telling me about all the storylines; pointing out who was fighting with who, who was cheating on their partner and who was the secret daughter of the man who was pretending to be someone else. I sighed and watched, not really knowing what was going on.

In times like this when I was at Gran and Gramps' house I could trick myself into thinking that I was normal, that the most unusual thing that ever happened to me was finding a tenner on the floor or down the back of the sofa.

Eventually Gramps called us in for dinner and we sat around the kitchen table eating and chatting about what had been going on. Gramps started telling us about one of the surgeons at the hospital where he worked and what had happened when he played a round of golf with his future son-in-law. I laughed in all the right places, not really paying much attention to the anecdote.

Grana and I washed up and put away the plates and cutlery, before joining Gramps in the living room. They curled up together on the sofa, Gran resting her head on his shoulder as they watched the programme on the television. In the armchair in the corner I spent more time watching them than the TV.

"I'm going to bed." I announced as soon as possible.

They both kissed me and I escaped up the stairs, shutting myself in my bedroom and flopping down on my bed. From the angle I was at, I could see through the window and counted the stars slowly, calming myself down.

I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew it was dark and everything was silent. Yawning, I stretched and rolled off the bed. Opening the door quietly, I padded along the corridor and down the stairs, intending to get a drink from the kitchen.

Passing the small room that Gramps called his office and Gran called his hideout, I heard a whispered voice and paused. Narrowing my eyes, I rested a hand against the wood and pressed my ear to the door.

"I'm telling you, as your mother, to get back here and make up with your daughter." Gran was hissing. "I don't care what she's done, River… no! Think about the things you used to get up to as a teenager… well I haven't forgotten, even if you have!"

I pushed the door open and went in. Gran whirled around guiltily and I saw that she was talking to Mum on her mobile.

"I don't want her to come back." I told her firmly.

"SEE!" I heard Mum snapping through the phone. "Whatever I do I can't win."

"Evie, stop being a brat." Gran ordered bluntly. "You want your mother to come and pick you up and she wants to see you. So stop being so bloody pig-headed, both of you."

"I do not." Mum and I both snapped at the same time.

Gran laughed. "See you in a bit, sweetie."

I glared at her as she hung up the phone and pushed it into the pocket of her dressing gown. "Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?" She asked.

"Take her side."

"That wasn't taking her side, Evie, believe me. You missed the bit where I told her to give you a break and reminded her that every time she thinks something's happened to you she goes crazy." Gran said with a shrug, moving past me and heading for the kitchen. I followed and pulled myself up onto the worktop as she flicked the lights on and boiled the kettle. "But you need to give her a break as well, Evie. She just gets worried about you, that's all. You're not exactly…"

"Not exactly what?" I demanded.

"Not exactly well-behaved." I pulled a face and muttered something under my breath. Gran laughed. "Who wants to be well-behaved? People who don't want to die on some alien planet."

"I haven't died yet, have I?" I pointed out sulkily.

Gran raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"I dunno…"

"Because your mother's always been there to make sure you get out of whatever trouble you've got yourself into."

"But she's so…"

"Protective?"

"Yeah, that."

"Because she cares, sweetie. If she didn't, she'd just let you get on with life."

We both looked up at the sound of the TARDIS materialising in the back garden. Gran smiled and set out an extra mug to make tea for three. I sighed and waited for the back door to open.


	127. Peas in a Pod

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Peas in a Pod**

Age: 44

Location: Ledworth, England, Earth

Date: September 2044

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><p>I wasn't sure how to break the news of what I was planning to Mum. Keeping my plan a secret had been so difficult and she'd nearly discovered it so many times before. Hurried, whispered phone calls with Donna and Nan and Gramps had almost given the game away and Mum was far from stupid.<p>

During one such phone call I had glanced up and caught sight of Mum hovering in the doorway, looking at me with narrowed eyes. She had obviously guessed that something was going on, which was almost definitely why she'd cornered me as soon as Jessica had gone outside to play in the garden.

"What's going on, Evie?" She demanded as I handed her a mug of coffee. I turned and watched Jessica out of the window, more to avoid meeting Mum's eyes than anything else. "What's with all the phone conversations that stop or get overly cheerful as soon as you notice I'm there?"

"Nothing, Mum, seriously." I told her with a shrug, turning away from the window and leaning backwards against the worktop.

She sighed, put her mug down and folded her arms over her chest. "Don't lie to me, sweetie."

"Fine…. but I didn't want you to find out like this." I told her, taking a deep breath. "We… Jess and me… we're moving."

"Moving? Where?"

"Chiswick."

"Ch- Chiswick? Why? When?" She demanded angrily. "When were you going to tell me?"

I held up my hands defensively as she leant on the table, both hands balled into fists. Taking a step forward, I folded my arms, showing her that I was taking charge of the situation and wasn't going to back down over this.

"Listen, OK, before you go off on one." I paused and, when she didn't speak I decided it was safe to carry on. "I know you decided not to send me to primary school, but I want Jess to go. I want her to have more of a normal life than I did and it'll be easier, won't it. You didn't have much choice because of being in Stormcage."

"But why do you have to move to Chiswick to do that?"

"Because if she goes to school in Chiswick she can go to the same school as Donna and Jack's kids and she'll have someone to look out for her."

"You're not Catholic." Mum pointed out.

I shrugged. "Neither are Donna and Jack. I'll find a way to get her in. Her cousins already go there… an element of nepotism always helps, right?"

"I don't think she needs anyone to look out for her."

"She does." I argued.

Mum looked past me, out of the window and arched an eyebrow. "I really don't think she does."

Wondering what she meant, I turned and looked outside. Jessica was hanging upside down from the branch of the apple tree, waving my gun around wildly. As I watched, a jet of green light burst from the end at hit one of the garden gnomes, causing it to explode into a million pieces.

"Oh, for fu–" I muttered, rushing through the backdoor and across the lawn. "Jessica Melody Song give me that gun this minute!"

"Why? I'm not doing anything!" She complained, accidentally firing another shot that narrowly avoided hitting me directly in the head. It only missed because I dropped to the ground like a stone.

Standing up, I put my hands on my hips and stared fiercely at her wide-eyed, upside-down face. "Give. Me. The. Gun."

"Alright, alright…" She agreed quickly, realising I was deadly serious.

As soon as I had the gun in my hands I headed back into the house. Putting it in the cutlery drawer, safely out of sight, I shook my head at Mum who was grinning broadly. I glared at her.

"See! It's not funny… That's the third time she's found my gun this week. On Tuesday she shot Mr Makal's cat. I had to run it over with Gramps' car and then offer to buy him a new one." I snapped. "It just proves my point. What does Jess know about the real world and school and… well, normal people? She's gonna need someone to help her out. She's already six… she's missed a year of school already."

"How are you going to explain that? And what about official records?" It was as though Mum was deliberately trying to think of problems. She probably was, I decided with a sigh. "You'll need those to get her registered with a doctor… a dentist…"

"Like I'm gonna take Jess to the doctors! They'd have a field day!" I laughed. "Anyway, Jack's sorting all that out. When we get down to Chiswick we'll both have a birth certificate, passport… everything we need to pass as normal people."

"So you're changing your identities?"

"No, just… making our history a bit more… normal people friendly… just for show. It's not like we're changing our names or anything."

Mum sat heavily in the kitchen chair, looking as though I had totally betrayed her. "Are you going to… turn all domestic?" I raised an eyebrow. "Like… get a job as a… dinner lady or a cleaner or something?"

I snorted; unable to contain my laughter at the images conjured up by her words. She had twisted her face into an expression of intense disgust.

"No, of course not! I'm going to work for Torchwood again."

"So what's going to happen to Jess when you're off with Jack and co?"

Grinning I pointed at her. "That's why you're coming too."

"No, I'm not." Mum snapped firmly. "I'm definitely not."

"Yes you are."

"Why should I move just because you've had a hare-brained scheme and decided to uproot your daughter?"

Rolling my eyes I moved to the sink and started doing the washing up. Behind me, Mum made a growling sound in her throat, as though I'd just confirmed her fears that I was suddenly going to turn into some weird, domesticated housewife who knitted jumpers and baked scones.

I grinned, knowing that now she'd be battling with herself, trying to decide whether or not to come with me. On one hand, she would be refusing to give in seeing as she'd already said she wouldn't move. On the other hand, the threat of me turning into the type of woman she despised – mainly because she didn't understand them – would be making her refuse to let me out of her sight.

"Mum?" Jessica called, appearing at the backdoor and swinging on it. The hinges creaked warningly and I held out my hand, beckoning her over. "Can I go to Amy and Rory's?"

"I've told you before; it's rude to call them that."

"You do." She pointed out simply with a shrug.

"Yeesss…" I agreed slowly. "Sometimes. But it's different because I'm an adult and I knew them before they knew who I was, when they were really young."

"So?"

"So, you can't call them by their names." I told her firmly.

She rolled her eyes and sighed. Then she smiled at me innocently and put on her sweetest, most sickly voice. "Fine. Mummy, can I go and play and Grandma Amy and Grory's house?"

Without waiting for my answer she rolled her eyes and disappeared through the door into the garden. I knew she'd climb over the wall that connected our house with my grandparents' and go in through the back door.

"I hope Gramps doesn't mind her calling him Grory… I don't know why she does it, but she won't stop!" I muttered, shaking my head.

"You called Mum, Gramy for ages when you were Jess's age." Mum told me with a chuckle. "You thought it was so clever… Gran and Amy rolled into one. She's exactly the same as you."

I pulled a face. "You definitely need to come with us then." I told her. "I may go mad otherwise."


	128. Question Time

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Preconceived Opinions**

Age: 20

Location: London, Earth

Date: 2006 AD

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><p>As soon as I'd got my head around the fact that the Doctor… Dad… was in fact my father, I made up my mind to check out as many of his former companions as possible. The TARDIS had helpfully made their information available, sending it straight to the data chip on my Vortex Manipulator so that I could browse through it in private.<p>

The Doctor… Dad… caught me reading up on Tegan Jovanka and didn't seem particularly impressed. He soon backed down when I pointed out the ratio of males to females and wondered out loud whether there was a reason for that, leaving me in peace.

"Satisfied?" He asked from below the glass floor of the console room, slightly sulkily as I wandered back into it later that evening. I'd gone all the way through the list the TARDIS had given me; all the way from Susan to Amy and Rory.

"Got a few questions." I told him with a shrug, settling myself on the chair and looking at him intently.

"I don't promise to answer." He replied, busying himself under the console.

I shrugged. "Didn't think you would."

"Go on then."

"Susan was your granddaughter, right?"

"Mmm…"

"So… where is she?" I asked, peering at him through the floor. "She's my… half-niece or something? I want to meet her."

"Next question."

"But–?"

"Next question, Evie." The Doctor said, a warning tone in his voice. I sighed, but didn't push him, feeling the TARDIS nudging my mind warningly as well.

"Fine. Is it true you used to work for UNIT?"

Dad looked up at me and raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were questioning me about my companions."

"I am… but I'm interested. You hate guns and all that. Donna said you were horrified when you realised that Martha was working for UNIT."

"It was less… military back then." He said with a shrug. "And technically I didn't have much of a choice… I'd just regenerated and been exiled to Earth by the Time Lords. I needed to repair the TARDIS."

"Why were you exi–"

"Next question."

I sighed in irritation but didn't push it once again. The TARDIS was on his side, encouraging me to stick to less controversial questions. I rolled my eyes, feeling ganged up on. I supposed that it made a change from the Doctor being ganged up on by me and Mum.

"Right… Auntie Sarah. Why did you leave her behind?"

"I had to go back to Gallifrey and she couldn't come with me." Dad said with a sigh. "Apparently my navigation was a bit off when I dropped her off… I gave her K9 to apologise, though."

"Why couldn't she come with you?"

"Next question."

"Will you take me to Gallifrey."

"I can't. Next question."

"Bu–"

"Next question." This time when the TARDIS nudged my mind it wasn't gentle. I pulled a face.

"Romana."

There was a clanging sound from beneath me and I glanced down at where Dad was in his hammock chair. "What about her?"

"Just… tell me about her. She was Gallifreyan, right? A Time Lady like me?"

"Yes." He replied shortly.

I growled in frustration. "Why won't you just answer my questions?"

"I warned you I probably wouldn't."

"But why? It's not like I'm going to… I don't know… use it against you, is it?" I pointed out wildly. "I'm your daughter. I want to know about these things."

"Why?" He asked, now it was his turn to ask questions, apparently. "Why is all this so important to you?"

"Because they were important to you, Dad; they made you who you are. And you made me who I am. So indirectly they affected my personality; the person that I am. But I know nothing about these people." I told him fiercely. "I don't care if you've got guilt about them… like you do with Rose and Martha and Donna. You don't need to be guilty… think about all the good you've done."

There was a long pause.

I was just about to give up and flounce off towards my bedroom when I heard Dad's footsteps on the staircase and I realised that he was walking towards me across the glass floor of the Console Room. Bracing myself for another argument, I waited, watching him nervously.

There was no argument. He didn't say anything. Instead he wrapped his arms around me and held me close. I closed my eyes and hugged him back. His jacket was itchy and tickled, but I didn't care. He smelt like space and time and the stars. At least I assumed he did, I wasn't sure what those things smelt of. But he had a unique smell that I couldn't quite put my finger on, so I decided to attribute it to these things anyway.

"I've lost too much to think about the past." He told me eventually, murmuring into my hair. "For all of space and time I'd rather just live in the present."

I nodded. "Alright."

With a final squeeze he let go and went back down the stairs to continue tinkering. There was a crash, a spark and a loud shout from Dad. I rolled my eyes and peered down at him.

"What now?"

"The old girl didn't like the way I re-wired that continuity booster. She decided to let me know about it." He growled, sucking his finger and frowning at the jumble of wires that surrounded him.

I grinned, silently high-fived the TARDIS and made my way through the corridor to my bedroom, making up my mind to do as Dad had said; live in the present.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello darlings!**_

_**Have my usual 'thank you so much' comment... it honestly means so much more than I can say!**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to NaviRebel16 - I hope it makes your day better!**_

_**Also, this will be the last update until at LEAST the 20th because I have my Uni finals on the 16th/18th and won't be able to write until at least then... and it'll probably be after that because I will no doubt be too hungover to write that weekend! But I promise I will write a new chapter as soon as I can!**_

_**Bex x**_


	129. The Greater Good 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Greater Good**

Age: 38

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: 2008

* * *

><p>"I'm not having this conversation with you now!" I snapped, grabbing my jacket from the back of the kitchen chair and stamping out of the kitchen. "I'm gonna be late for work."<p>

"Oh, yeah, your beloved Torchwood." Tom snapped, standing in the doorway and stopping me leaving the room. "Everything's more important than me, isn't it?"

"What are you… Tom what do you actually want me to do?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips. "This is my life, OK? And I'm sorry if it doesn't fit in neatly with your little plan, but I cannot be the good little housewife you want; staying at home with the kids and making sure your dinner's on the table when you get back from a long day at the hospital."

"If that was what I wanted I wouldn't be with you, would I?" He yelled back.

I rolled my eyes. "Right, so what are you getting so wound up about?!"

"Evie… I just asked you to marry me and you said you were busy!" Tom reminded me furiously. "Too busy to say yes or no! What does that tell you?"

"We'll talk about it when I get home."

As I tried to push past, Tom grabbed me by the arm. "No! We'll talk about it now! What is there to say? Just answer yes or no."

"I don't know!" I shouted at him, angry tears forcing themselves into my eyes. "I don't know what my answer is, alright?"

He stumbled back as though I'd hit him. "What?"

"How can I get married? I agreed to move in with you and living in this flat is stifling me… I feel trapped!" I admitted angrily. "Now I understand why Dad won't move into the house with Mum… its suffocating."

"Being with me is suffocating you?" Tom asked slowly.

I wanted to scream. "No! It has nothing to do with you. It's this flat; these four walls. I want to be out there… doing things… experiencing things… seeing new things. That's why my job is so important. It's my life. It's who I am."

"And your life and who you are don't involve me, then?"

"No!" I groaned. "I didn't mean that…"

"Is this because of what I told you… because of the girl in the club?"

I clenched my hand into a fist, not meeting his eye. "I can't do this right now. I have to go."

"You're not going anywhere." Tom snapped, grabbing hold of me.

"Get off!"

"No!" He clung on. "You are going to stay here and talk to me."

I wrenched myself out of his grasp and tapped at the Vortex Manipulator. Just as I pressed the button that would send me spiralling towards the Torchwood Hub, I felt Tom's hand close around my wrist, pulling him through the Vortex with me.

"For fu– TOM!" I screeched as we materialised in the Hub. He was looking around him in astonishment. I'd never brought him to the Torchwood Hub before, so this was the first time he'd ever seen it.

"What is this place?" He demanded.

"Ahh… about time too." Jack's voice floated down to me from the boardroom. "We've been waiting for you, Miss Song. We've got kinda an emergency going on here."

"Sorry, Jack. I'll be up now." I assured him, before turning and glaring at Tom furiously. "Stay here. Do not move."

He nodded and sank into the seats in the corner while I darted up the stairs and into the boardroom, holding up my hands as an apology. Jack nodded and launched into his explanation of the latest crisis we had on our hands. I was only half listening, still fuming about Tom's words.

"Are you with us, Evie?" Jack asked finally, raising an eyebrow and leaning on the table. "Because from where I'm standing you're completely distracted."

"Sorry, Uncle Jack." I muttered, still not fully concentrating. "Tom's downstairs."

"What?" Jack rushed to the window and stared down to the main level of the Hub where Tom was still sitting on the seat, staring around him in confusion. "Why?"

"We were in the middle of an argument and he grabbed my arm as I dematerialised." I informed them with a sigh. "I was already late because of him, so I told him to sit down and stay there."

"You realise we'll have to–"

"You are not going to retcon him." I warned Jack, pointing at him angrily. "There's no point… he knows everything anyway." Jack glared through the window, folding his arms over his chest. "I know you don't like him–"

"Too right I don't like him."

I ignored him and carried on with what I was saying. "But he's my boyfriend and you'll just have to deal with that, alright?"

"Fine. But this is where you work Evie."

"I know." I muttered, dropping my head onto my arms.

"So? What were you arguing about?" Gwen asked curiously.

"He asked me to marry him."

Gwen, Tosh and Ianto exclaimed excitedly and began chattering about what they'd just heard. Owen made an exasperated groan and there was a bang which indicated that Jack had left the room. Swearing, I leapt to my feet and rushed down the stairs after him, worried about what he'd do.

"I thought you told him to stay?" Jack demanded, looking around the Hub.

I shrugged. "I did… check the CCTV."

We both leant towards the computer screen as Jack brought up the footage. Scanning the various frames quickly, I jabbed my finger at the image of the third storage container in the basement. Tom seemed to be looking for something.

"What's he doing?" Jack asked in annoyance.

"I dunno… I'll go and find out." I assured my godfather with a sigh.

Jack made an irritated noise in his throat as I headed away. I rolled my eyes at his attitude, knowing that he was just being overprotective. Making my way down the stone steps to the basement, I shivered wondering why it was so cold. There was a strange metallic taste in the air and a buzzing sound that grew louder as I got closer to the storage rooms.

"Tom?" I called, opening the door and reaching out for the light switch. "Babe… I thought I told you to stay up there."

Before I could reach the light switch, something barrelled into me, pinning me up against the wall and holding me tightly in place. I struggled, finally managing to escape from the grip and slamming my hand into the light switch. As it flickered into life, I gasped and backed away. Tom was advancing on me, but it wasn't really Tom. His eyes were glowing purple and his expression set me on edge.

"Tom… TOM!" I shouted, really hoping that Jack was still monitoring the CCTV. There was no recognition in his eyes as I tried to get through to him.

Darting sideways out of his reach, I tried to get clear of the boxes and crates and succeeded in trapping myself in the corner of the room furthest away from the door. Swearing, I tried to reason with him, knowing that it was useless because whatever this thing was, it wasn't Tom.

"Oi!" Jack and Gwen burst into the room, Jack leaping on Tom's back and wrestling him to the ground while Gwen pulled out a needle and injected something into his neck.

"You alright?" Gwen demanded as Jack hoisted the now unconscious Tom to his feet and dragged him out of the room.

I nodded as she wrapped me in a tight hug, trying to formulate my words into a coherent sentence.

"What was it… that wasn't Tom, so what was it?"

"I dunno, sweetheart, but we'll figure it out."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello darlings! So I'm back from the land of revision and exams! **_

_**I apologise that there's been so long between my last update and this one – the truth is that I really just haven't had time. And when I have had time to sit down and write, I've ended up just watching something instead because I am unbelievably tired at the moment and I have no idea why!**_

_**Anyway, here's an update – I hope you enjoy it! :) **_


	130. The Greater Good 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Greater Good**

"So we analysed the readings we took from Tom and checked the CCTV footage and it looks as though there's some type of calcite life form making itself at home in the central cortex of his brain." Tosh said, staring at the computer screen.

"And that means…?" I muttered, chewing my thumbnail.

"Well, basically, there's something attacking his brain and making him act oddly."

"How can we stop it?"

Tosh sighed and turned to look at me. "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do…"

"No." I argued, shaking my head. "There has to be something."

"Judging from the rate of acceleration in the calcite composition of these readings, the life form is turning Tom's entire body into some kind of calcitic life form." Owen said softly, taking over from Toshiko as I glared at them.

"No!"

"Evie…" Jack tried to reach out and hug me, but I batted his hands away and stalked towards the vaults where they'd left him, full of sedative.

"Even if you've given up, I haven't." I told them firmly. "I'll figure this out."

I could hear Jack giving orders as I made my way down the steps to the vaults but didn't take any notice of what he was saying. I had no space in my brain for anything except Tom at the moment. If what Tosh and Owen said was true, then I had lost him. But I refused to admit defeat. If nothing else he needed an answer to the question I'd refused to acknowledge just an hour or so earlier.

Coming to a halt in front of the cell where Tom was being held, I took a steadying breath before turning to face him. I knew that the sight that would greet me was down to me; it was all my fault. Right from the beginning.

Dad had once told me that something had been drawing him and Donna together, throughout the universe. Now I was starting to wonder whether the same was true about Tom and I. If I hadn't ended up outside the Headmaster's office that day for refusing to do something or having an attitude or whatever the reason was, I would never have met him. We were in completely different circles and under normal circumstances we would never have met. As it was, we only got to know each other because we kept bumping into each other all over the place.

And now there was this and there was no one to blame but me.

Taking a deep breath I turned and looked into the cell. Tom – or whatever he was – was simply standing in the middle of the cell, staring at me, his eyes still glowing purple. Uncertainly, I took a step towards the glass door. Then I stopped and looked at the figure in front of me. He still didn't move, so I stood directly in front of the glass, resting one hand against it and watching him sadly.

"Tom… I know you're still in there. Please, fight this… whatever it is. I need you to fight this." I begged. "You need to fight this and then we can find a way to stop it."

Suddenly, without me even noticing that he had moved, Tom was inches away from me. The only thing stopping us touching was the sheet of reinforced glass between us. I gasped and stumbled backwards, shocked by the sheer speed of his movement.

"Tom! Please… I know you can hear me. Fight this… thing!"

"He is gone." A voice, very different from Tom's, said echoing around the vaults. I gasped, the breath catching in my throat. "The Rexteth has taken his place."

"No. No, no, no!" I sobbed, banging on the door with my fists. "I don't believe you. I know Tom's in there… somewhere!"

"Evie!" Jack's voice made me jump. The only reason I didn't scream was because I gasped instead. "It's alright."

He wrapped his arms tightly around me, muttering comforting words into my ear. I clung to him, refusing to believe what the creature had said. Tom was still inside his body. I knew he was. I could feel it.

"Jack… he's still in there. I need to talk to him… I need to give him an answer." I choked out.

"I'm sorry, titch, I can't let you. He's too dangerous."

"He's not! Tom's not dangerous!" I argued.

"Tom might not be." Jack agreed gently. "But that creature, that Rexteth, is."

After a moment I nodded. "Fine."

Breathing a sigh of evident relief, Jack led me back up to the main part of the Hub. Gwen and Tosh were glancing at me more than was normal, looks of concern plain on their faces. Ianto kept me supplied with cups of tea and coffee and Jack seemed to be avoiding me. Only Owen was acting like his normal self; cracking jokes at my expense and making innuendos as easily as breathing. But all I could think about was Tom in the cell.

"We've got to pop out." Jack informed me a little while later, swinging his coat around his shoulders as he strode across the floor towards me. "Ianto will be in the Tourist Centre."

"Why can't I come?" I demanded.

"Your mind isn't on the job." He said bluntly. "You'd be a liability, Evie. I'm sorry. We won't be long."

I watched them leave. Ianto shot me a weak smile as he headed up to the wooden shack that served as cover for the building below. For a moment I sat in silence, staring at my hands. Then I stood up and purposefully headed back down to the vaults.

This time I didn't flinch at the proximity between Tom and myself. Reaching out, I pressed the door release button, surprised that my hand wasn't shaking at all. There was a long, low hiss as the door opened. Neither of us moved for a moment. Then I took one step forward. Before I knew what was happening, I was pinned against the stone wall, one of Tom's hands around my throat.

I didn't struggle. Instead I looked deep into his eyes, willing Tom to recognise me; to fight. He blinked.

"E-Evie?"

"Tom!" I almost burst into tears as his voice came from his mouth. The purple tint in his eyes faded. "I knew you were still there."

"Not for long." He said softly, tears springing to his eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Why? This is my fault."

He shook his head. "No, it's mine. I shouldn't have given you such a hard time over your job. I know how much it means to you. If I hadn't grabbed hold of you none of this would have happened."

"Please, don't…" I sobbed, unable to stop myself. "You were right… you are more important."

"No. All this – saving the world and fighting the species that are endangering us – that's what's important."

I smiled weakly, reaching up to stroke his cheek. "The answer's yes, by the way."

"Yes?"

"I will marry you."

He laughed softly, reaching down and pressing his lips to mine. I kissed him back, almost desperately, tears rolling down my cheeks. We both knew it wasn't an option, but neither of us wanted to say it. Tom reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a small black box. Inside was the most beautiful ring I'd ever seen. Holding out my left hand, I let Tom slide it onto my fourth finger.

"It's no Alambastian Diamond or Griwton Pearl," Tom said softly, "but it's the best I could get."

"It's perfect." I half sobbed, kissing him again.

Neither of us spoke for a moment, but then a violent spasm ripped through Tom's entire body. I blinked, knowing what it meant. He knew too and looked at me sadly.

"This is it… I've lost. You have to promise me, Evie… promise me you'll leave this cell, get the biggest gun you can find and shoot me. It won't be me you're killing… it's too late for that. It'll be this thing." He said in a low, commanding voice. "I can hear its thoughts. It… you're first on the list, Evie. Promise me you'll stop it."

I nodded, wordlessly, unable to find any words. He kissed me, all of both our emotions flooding into it. I clung on, but Tom gently pushed me away and pulled the cell door. I pushed it closed, the mechanism clicking as it locked.

"Go, now…"

"Tom… I… I love you."

He smiled. "I love you too."

"I'm sorry." I whispered, tears freely falling from my eyes.

"Tell my parents… tell them I did something heroic." Tom told me, the ghost of a smile on his face. I choked out a laugh and nodded. "Bye, Evie."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than his eyes changed. The comforting, beautiful brown eyes I was used to vanished, replaced by the horrible purple glow. Glancing at the ring on my finger, I set my jaw and walked purposefully to the weapon storage area and picked up the biggest gun I could see. It was stupidly big for the close distance, but I didn't care. That _thing_ deserved it.

* * *

><p><em><strong>When Jack and the team arrived back from their job, Evie was sitting calmly on the sofa in the Hub. Gwen was the first to notice that she was covered in blood. <strong>_

"_**Oh my god…" She muttered, sprinting across the floor, she dropped to the ground in front of the other woman and began checking quickly for injuries. Evie made no sign that she had noticed. "Evie… sweetheart… speak to me?"**_

"_**Gwen… CCTV… look at the vaults." Owen called, his face white.**_

_**She stood up and, with a glance over her shoulder at Evie, she joined the others at the monitor. The door to the cell where Tom had been held was swinging open. On the ground was a shape which could have once been a human body. Blood was splattered up the walls and across the glass. **_

"_**Look at her hand…" Tosh whispered, staring at the ring on Evie's finger. **_

_**There was a long silence. Then Jack took command. "Right… Gwen go and get her to lie down. Ianto, we need lots of tea. Owen, Tosh… go and deal with that… situation. I'll go through the CCTV and try and work out what's been going on around here."**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter made me sad. But I hope you enjoyed it anyway! :)**_

_**x**_


	131. Swords and Birthday Presents 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Swords and Birthday Presents**

Age: 20

Location: The Fancy, The Ocean

Date: 1699

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Happy birthday!" Amy, Rory and the Doctor shouted in unison, throwing open the TARDIS doors and beaming at her enthusiastically.<strong>_

_**Evie laughed and straightened up. She'd been leaning against the cell wall watching the blue box for a couple of seconds before its crew had emerged. No doubt they'd been going for surprise, but considering the Doctor never took the breaks off it hadn't really worked. **_

"_**River not here?" Amy asked as the Doctor unlocked the cell door and the young woman emerged, hugging her friends tightly.**_

"_**Nope, she's off on some mission or other… she mentioned something about a map, but I wasn't really listening."**_

"_**Well then, all the more reason for us to go and celebrate your birthday!" The Doctor announced cheerfully. "Come on."**_

* * *

><p>"Where are we, Doctor?" Amy demanded, standing with her hands on her hips and staring around our dark, predominantly wooden surroundings. There were ropes and barrels and sacks everywhere.<p>

"It would appear we're on a ship." He answered slowly, looking around. Ducking back into the TARDIS he laughed as he checked the scanner. "1699! I'm guessing we're on board a pirate ship!"

I grinned. "Brilliant!"

Rory didn't look so sure. "Are the pirates going to be happy about us being here?"

"Only one way to find out." The Doctor reasoned. With a grin on his face, he started banging at the trap door above our heads. Finally he bashed it with enough pressure to send the door hurtling upwards and revealing a row of men staring down at us, not looking particularly impressed.

"Fantastic…" I muttered, my gaze fixed on the pistol aimed in our direction.

"_Yo ho ho!_" The Doctor cried enthusiastically. The pirates narrowed their eyes. "_Or does nobody actually say that?_"

"I guess not…" I muttered in his ear.

Without warning, the pirates reached down and pulled us out of the hold roughly. I let out a short bark of annoyance as I was dumped unceremoniously on the wet deck by a tall, well-built man. Seconds later, Amy hit the ground beside me. She pouted moodily at me and I returned the look, pulling the band out of my hair and re-doing it quickly. It had caught on a nail in the crate behind me and got messed up. There was no way I was hanging out with pirates with messy hair.

The Captain, or I guessed he was the Captain because he was the best dressed and was barking orders at the rest of the crew, led the way below deck to a finely decorated cabin. I raised my eyebrows in appreciation at the piles of treasure and tasteful furniture that filled the room.

"How are you aboard the Fancy?" The Captain demanded gruffly, facing the four of us standing in a row in front of him. Three of the incredibly small crew stood behind us – no doubt under the impression that we would try to escape.

"We picked up a… distress signal." The Doctor explained quickly, thinking on the spot. "We thought we should come and help."

"_We made no signal._"

"_Our sensors picked you up… ship in distress._"

"_Sensors?_" The Captain asked, spitting out the word as though it was diseased.

I rolled my eyes as the Doctor realised his mistake. "_Yes. OK… problem word… 17__th__ Century. My ship automatically… noticed-ish… that your ship was having some bother. _"

"_That big blue crate?_" The Captain asked as I glanced sideways at Amy. She widened her eyes slightly and gave a small shrug of her shoulders; barely more than a twitch.

"_That is more magic, Captain Avery._" The man beside him said suspiciously. "_They're spirits. How else would they have found their way below decks?_"

"Spirits?" I muttered, amused by his supposition. "There are no such things as sp–"

The Doctor cut me off. "_Well, I want to say multi-dimensional engineering, but since you had a problem with sensors, I won't go there._"

"You may as well just stick with spirits." I murmured sarcastically, rolling my eyes. The Doctor jabbed me in the ribs.

"_Look, I'm the Doctor. This is Amy, Rory, Evie. We're sailors, same as you. ARR!_"

To punctuate his point, the Doctor stepped forward and punched the Captain jovially on the shoulder. As he turned to face the rest of the crew, the Captain pulled out his pistol and aimed it at the Time Lord's head. I sighed and grabbed his arm, forcing him to turn around. The Doctor's face fell.

"_Except for the gun thing. And the beardiness._" He added, far more subdued.

"_You're stowaways!_" The Captain accused us, his pistol still aimed at the Doctor, but his eyes drifting between all four of us. "_Only explanation. Eight days we've been stranded here; becalmed. You must have stowed away before we sailed._"

"_Well, what do we do with them?_" The pirate beside him asked, looking nastily between us. I couldn't help my lip curling at his words and the expression on his face.

The Captain smiled. "_Oh I think they deserve our hospitality._"

He glanced at his crew and motioned with his head. Each of the men grabbed one of us by the shoulders and dragged out back out onto the deck. Somehow I didn't think they meant the sort of hospitality the Doctor had in mind.

We reached the deck and the pirates holding Amy, Rory and I kept a firm hold on our arms. The pirate leading the Doctor moved towards the plank, hoisting the Doctor onto it and jabbing him forwards. I could just about make out the dark, swirling water beneath it and gulped.

"_I suppose laughing like that is in the job description._" The Doctor said, taking several steps forward as the men roared with amusement. He bounced on the plank, testing it, before raising his arms into a diving position. "_'Can you do the laugh? Check. Grab yourself a parrot. Welcome aboard!'_"

"Stocks are low. Only one barrel of water remains." The Captain explained, almost apologetically. "We don't need four more empty bellies to fill. Take the doxies below to the galley."

It took a moment for me to realise that he meant Amy and me. Obviously Rory worked it out before we did, because his indignant cry of complaint, coupled with a rough jerk of my arms, caused the realisation to dawn on me.

"_Set them to work; they won't need much feeding._"

"Oi!" I snapped, struggling as the pirate dragged us away. "Get your hands off me!"

"_Rory, a little help?_" Amy demanded.

"_Hey, listen, right… she's not a doxy._" He told them, firmly.

"Oi!" I complained again.

"Oh, right, neither is Evie."

"Thanks?" I snapped back, breaking free of the pirate's arms and backing away.

The pirate grabbed hold of Amy once more, pulling her down some wooden steps. "_I didn't mean just tell him off!_" She sighed. "_Thanks, anyway... Get off!_"

Moments later I joined her and we stared around in annoyed silence in the dark, damp area. The water was at least ankle deep. Then Amy leapt towards a crate, lifting the lid. Inside were swords and cutlasses. Glancing over her shoulder at me, Amy grinned and reached it. Pulling two out, she handed one to me with raised eyebrows.

I tested it, swishing it around me and Amy laughed. Grinning, I glanced past her and spotted two coats hanging from one of the beams. Hurdling another crate, I took them down, throwing the blue one to Amy and putting the green one on myself. There was also a hat, which I gave to the red-head, before slinging the leather sash around my body.

We looked at each other for a moment before grinning.

"I feel like a pirate Queen." Amy admitted, giggling.

"You look like one!" I agreed. "Very scary!"

She shook her head and swatted at me. "Oh, shut up! Come on."


	132. Swords and Birthday Presents 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Swords and Birthday Presents**

We crept silently back up the steps, moving closer to the group of people on the deck. The Doctor was still standing on the plank, talking non-stop, as usual. The crew seemed to be looking at each other, slightly uneasily. No doubt they were not used to their prisoners being so… unafraid and obstinate.

"_I suppose the rest of them are hiding someplace…_" The Doctor guessed wildly, squeezing his nose with his fingers and getting ready to jump. "_And they're all gonna jump out and shout boo!_"

Taking this as our cue, Amy and I leapt forwards, swords raised. "_Boo!_"

The Captain and his crew gasped and swung round to look at us, looking terrified. I smirked at the expressions on their faces, glancing sideways at Amy, who looked similarly proud of herself.

"_Throw the gun down._" She ordered. The Captain did as he was told and Amy smirked, before kicking it away. "_The rest of you, on your knees._"

"_Amy, what are you doing?_ Evie?" The Doctor called from the back of the group.

"_Saving your life. OK with that, are you?_"

"You know, it's true." I added, moving slowly around the pirates, my sword pointing at them. "Never send a man to do a woman's job."

"_Put down the sword. A sword could kill us all, girl._" The Captain demanded.

I narrowed my eyes. "Duh…"

"_Yeah, thanks!_" Amy said loudly. "_That's actually why I'm pointing it at you._"

Before either of us could react, another of the pirates leapt to his feet, brandishing his own sword at Amy. She shrieked and leapt backwards in fright. I moved to stand beside her, tripping over a coil of rope and almost stabbing myself in the foot. Jumping to my feet, I leapt aside just as another of the pirates lunged at me, his own sword raised.

I could hear the sound of metal on metal as Amy fought the first pirate, but the sound was soon obscured by the sound of my own fight. I backed along the deck, blocking and jabbing as though my life depended on it. Which it probably did. Even in the middle of the battle I grinned to myself, thinking about how many times that particular thought had already occurred to me in my life.

A moment or so later, I found myself back to back with Amy, our attackers staying a safe distance away.

"You alright?" I muttered at her, not taking my eyes off the man.

"Yeah, you?"

"Of course." I agreed calmly.

I watched as the pirate in front of me moved, doubling round to re-join the others. I grinned and moved slightly as Amy began swishing her sword theatrically around in front of her. The pirates gasped and whimpered as she moved closer. Then one leapt forwards, brandishing a wooden pole.

Amy leapt towards him, slashing and hacking at the pole with all her might. I leant against the side of the ship watching. She obviously had this under control. Moments later he was down and another took his place, whirling a weight around on the end of a length of rope. Amy retreated and I straightened up.

"I've got this." I told her with a wink.

Grabbing hold of a hanging rope, I kicked off and swung through the air towards them, one hand clutching the rope tightly and the other waving my sword around threateningly. One of my feet connected with something solid – I assumed it was one of the pirates – and I lashed out with the sword. Letting go of the rope, I landed square on the deck, looking around triumphantly.

"_You have killed me._" One of the pirates said, his voice cracking with emotion.

I raised an eyebrow and glanced at Amy, who rolled her eyes.

"_No way._" She told him. "_It's just a cut. What kind of rubbish pirates are you?_"

"_One drop; that's all it takes._" The Captain informed her, still holding onto the Doctor tightly. "_One drop of blood and she'll rise out of the ocean._"

"Who?" I demanded, tilting my head to one side.

"_Come on… She barely even scratched him. What are you all in such a huff about?_" Amy demanded.

One of the pirates started angrily towards Amy. Noticing the look on his face, I grabbed the rope and swung towards him. He grabbed me round the waist pulling me down. There was a clutter and then a grunt of pain. We all looked up to see Rory holding his hand tightly and wincing.

"_Ahh… Doctor? What's happening to me?_" He asked nervously raising his right hand. A large black spot had appeared on his palm.

"_She can smell the blood on your skin._" The Captain informed him bluntly. "_She's marked you for death._"

Rory looked confused. "_She?_"

"_A demon… out there in the ocean._"

"_OK!_" The Doctor enthused, following his finger and looking out to sea. "_Groovy! So not just pirates today? We've managed to bagsy a ship where there's a demon popping in!_" He glanced at me and grinned. "Happy birthday, Evie. You are most welcome."

"Thanks?" I muttered, as he moved to examine Rory's hand.

"_Very efficient!_" He continued, checking the wound and then the black spot. "_I mean, if something's gonna kill you, it's nice that it drops you a note to remind you._"

"But… there's no such–" I started, intending to remind him that demons didn't exist. At least, I thought they didn't. I was cut off by a strange sound; like singing. It was beautiful and yet terrifying at the same time.

Everyone was looking around, trying to see the source of the noise. The pirates looked horrified, their eyes wide and the colour draining from their faces. I glanced at Amy, who looked totally confused.

"_Quickly now… block out the sound._" One of the men said.

"_What?_"

"_The creature… she charms all her victims with that song._"

Rory glared at the Captain. "_Oh great! So, put my fingers in my ears? That's your plan? Doctor, come on! Let's go. Let's get back to the… Oh… Back to the…_" He broke off and started giggling stupidly. Amy and I watched with similar expressions of bemusement on our faces as he started stumbling around, almost as though he was drunk.

"_The music… it's working on him… look._"

"_You are so beautiful._" Rory told Amy enthusiastically.

"_What?_" She murmured, glancing at me in confusion. I shrugged and shook my head.

"_Oh! No, I love your get-up._" He said, motioning to her pirate hat and coat. "_That's great! You should dress as a pirate more often, huh? Hey… hey… cuddle me, shipmate._"

"_Rory, stop!_" Amy commanded as I let out an involuntary snort of laughter. "Not helping, Evie!"

"_Everything is totally brilliant, isn't it? Huh?_" He enthused, before I could apologise. "_Look at these brilliant pirates! Look at their brilliant beards! I'd like a beard… I'm going to grow a beard!_"

"_You're not._" Amy assured him firmly.

The Captain watched Rory and the pirate I'd cut laughing and clutching onto each other stupidly. "_The music turns them into fools._"

"It's almost like when D- when my Auntie had laughing gas at the dentist…" I muttered, observing them closely. "Except it's like they've had a stronger dose."

"_Oh my god…_" Amy exclaimed, causing everyone to turn and follow her line of vision.

A strange light was shining, almost coming up from the ocean. Mist hung in the air above the one particular spot, shimmering and shining. Involuntarily we all took a step back away from it. The singing was much louder now, coming from all around us.

Suddenly something shot gracefully out of the water, flying high into the air, before hovering in front of us about a foot above the deck. It was a woman. She descended, walking a couple of steps towards us before stopping and holding out a hand. Amy grabbed for Rory, but he wrestled to get out of her grip. I grabbed the back of his shirt and held on, refusing to let go.

Rory and the pirate with the cut struggled to get to her. Amy and I clung on to Rory, but no one stopped the pirate. He moved closer, his arm outstretched. As soon as his fingers connected with hers, he dissolved into a cloud of black smoke. There was a terrible agonised scream and we held onto Rory even more tightly.

"_I have to touch her!_" He argued, surging forward and catching Amy and me off balance. "_Let me touch her!_"

We stumbled forwards as Amy pushed Rory aside and glared at the woman. "_Sorry, but he is spoken for._"

With a terrible screech, the woman changed. Her features contorted and the soft blue light that had surrounded her changed dramatically. Red light pulsed around her and Amy flew backwards through the air, hitting the deck with a thud.

"Amy?" I gasped, still clasping Rory's arms tightly.

"_Amy? Amy!_" The Doctor shouted, running to her side. "_Everybody into the hold!_"

The pirates made a run for it, fighting to get to safety first. I tried to drag Rory with me, but he was determined to get to the woman.

"Doctor!" I shouted.

He leapt to help me. "_Rory! Come on!_ Evie, help Amy."


	133. Swords and Birthday Presents 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Swords and Birthday Presents**

"_What is that thing?_" Amy demanded as we crowded into the hold. The water was up to the middle of my shins as I followed the Doctor further in.

"_The legend… the siren._" The Captain answered, looking around nervously. "_Many a merchant ship laden with treasure has fallen prey to her. She's been hunting us ever since we were becalmed… picking off the injured._"

"_Like a shark… a shark can smell blood._"

"_OK…_" The Doctor agreed, pulling a face. "_Just like a shark, in a dress and singing and green! A green singing shark in an evening gown!_"

The Captain obviously didn't share the Doctor's enthusiasm for the situation. He turned and fixed him with a furious glare. "_The ship is cursed._"

"_Yeah… right… 'Cursed' is big with humans. It means bad things are happening, but you can't be bothered to find an explanation._"

Rolling my eyes, I turned and raised an eyebrow at the sight that met me. Rory had Amy's face in his hands and she seemed to be trying to free herself. "_She's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen._" He was telling her seriously.

Amy sighed. "_Actually, I think you'll find she isn't. We have to leave. Right now._"

"_That crate of yours really is a ship?_" The Captain asked the Doctor, nodding at Amy's words.

"_Well, it's not propelled by the wind._" The Time Lord answered, looking around wildly.

"_Show me! Weigh anchor… make it sail!_"

"_And the gun's back._"

I leant towards the Captain and shook my head, muttering softly in his ear. "He really doesn't like guns."

"_You're big on the gun thing, aren't you?_"

"They are pirates." I pointed out with a shrug.

"_Freud would say you're compensating. Ever met Freud? No. Comfy sofa._"

He leant his head back, almost as though he was under hypnosis or about to fall asleep. "Snap out of it." I hissed, clicking my fingers beside his ear.

"Right, yes!" He nodded. "Thank you."

"_Leave the cursed one, Captain._" One of the pirates suggested, motioning to Rory. "_The creature can have him._"

"_Yes, please._" Rory agreed seriously.

"Umm… no?" I argued, looking at Amy.

"_We don't want the siren coming after us._"

As the Captain spoke, there was a scream and the pirate who had suggested leaving Rory behind began to jump up and down on the spot, crying out. He raised his leg out of the water, revealing a wriggling black mark on his leg.

"_It's a leech!_" Amy shouted, panicked.

"_Everyone out of the water._" The Doctor ordered, pulling me with him out of the way.

"_It's bitten me… I'm bleeding!_" The pirate shouted, horrified.

Everyone went quiet, watching and waiting to see what would happen. The Doctor's arm was still wrapped tightly around my waist and it tensed slightly in the silence. The pirate looked at his hand, breathing deeply. Then he showed it; first to the Doctor and then to his Captain. A large black dot, identical to the one on Rory's palm, was clear on his flesh.

"_She wants blood. Why does she want blood?_"

"_What were you saying about leaving the cursed ones behind?_" Amy asked, slightly sarcastically.

"_It's OK._" The Doctor said reassuringly, his grip on me tightening even more. "_We're safe down here. No curse is getting through three solid inches of timber._"

No sooner had the words left his mouth then there was a screech and the hold was filled with the now-familiar soft blue glow. We turned quickly and saw the siren, inches away from the Doctor and me. I swore under my breach, clutching at the Doctor's jacket.

"_Ahhh! Hello again…_" The Doctor said, before almost throwing me across the hold and scrambling after.

There was a battle to try and keep hold of the pirate and Rory. As before, there was a scream, a cloud of black smoke and the pirate was gone. His hat dropped to the ground, floating on the water in the bottom of the hold. The Doctor grabbed it, before helping to wrestle Rory out of harm's way.

"'_Safe'?_" Amy demanded as soon as we were out of the hold and the Doctor had locked the door behind us. Not that I could see it would do much good.

"_I have my good days and my bad days._" He snapped back.

"_How did she get in?_" The Captain demanded.

The Doctor was scanning the pirate's hat with his sonic screwdriver, checking the readings it picked up. I tried to look over his shoulder, but he whirled away. "_Bilge water… she's using water like a portal; a door. She can materialise through a single drop. We need to go somewhere with no water._"

I stared at him as though he was insane.

"_Well, thank god we're not in the middle of the ocean._" Amy muttered, vocalising my thoughts as she continued to wrestle with Rory.

"_Did you see her eyes?_" He muttered dreamily as I moved to help her keep him under control. "_Like crystal pools._"

"_You are in enough trouble._" His wife warned him.

The Captain suddenly spoke eagerly. "_The magazine!_"

"_What?_"

"_He means the armoury; where the powder's stored._" The Doctor explained quickly.

"_It's dry as a bone._"

"_Good. Let's go there._"

Raising his pistol again, the Captain aimed it straight at the Doctor's head. "_I give the orders._"

"_Ah… worried because I'm wearing a hat now?_" The Doctor asked proudly.

"I doubt it…" I muttered, fighting with Rory who was pushing Amy's head down in an attempt to get away. "You look ridiculous, by the way."

"Thank you." He grinned, before whirling across the deck. "_Nobody touch anything sharp!_"

"_Come on, Rory!_"

Together we pulled him towards the armoury, waiting impatiently as the Boatswain fiddled with his bunch of keys, looking for the right one.

"_Quickly, man!_" The Captain ordered.

"_I– I can't… the key is gone, Captain!_"

"_How can it have gone?_"

Stepping forward, the Doctor pushed the door. It swung open easily at his touch. There was a loud creak and everyone crowded forwards to look inside.

"_Someone else had the same idea._" The Doctor almost whispered, before moving quickly into the room.

"_Barricade the door._" The Captain ordered. "_Careful of that lantern… Every barrel is full of powder._"

Looking into the shadowy corners, the Doctor tilted his head slightly. "_Who's been sleeping in my gun room?_"

From somewhere out of sight there was the muffled sound of coughing. I was the closest to the noise, so I bit my lip nervously and lifted the lid of one of the barrels. Inside was a dark haired boy, he couldn't have been much older than twelve or thirteen.

Without any warning, the Captain pushed me aside and lifted the boy out. "_You fool! You fool, boy! What are you doing here?_"

"_Who is he?_"

"_What?_" The Doctor asked, glancing around. "_He's not one of the crew?_"

"_No…_" The Captain agreed gruffly. "_He's my son._"


	134. Swords and Birthday Presents 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Swords and Birthday Presents**

"He's just a kid…" Amy muttered as we sat in the armoury listening to Captain Avery talking to his son.

I shrugged. "Yeah, but life was harder back then… now… wasn't it. He's lucky to have made it this far… besides loads of boys his age were on ships and stuff."

"_She told me all about you._" Toby was saying and the two women went quiet, listening. His words were punctuated by painful sounding coughs. "_How you were a Captain in the Navy. 'An honourable man', she said. How I'd be proud to know you. I've come to join your crew._"

"_I don't want you here._" His father said bluntly.

"_You can't send me back… it's too late. We're a 100 miles from home._"

"_It's dangerous here. There is a monster aboard. She leaves a mark on men's skin._"

There was a pause before Toby spoke. "_The black spot?_" He turned his hand over and showed us the large, black circle on his palm.

Avery grabbed his hand, examining it closely as Toby coughed again. The Doctor's expression changed abruptly and he waved a hand at me.

"Evie… can you look after Toby. I need to speak to the Captain." He asked.

I raised an eyebrow, but did as he commanded. Wrapping an arm around the boy's shoulders, I led him to the back of the armoury to sit quietly with our backs against the wooden wall. He coughed almost constantly, causing his entire body to shake.

"Hey… come here." I murmured, giving him a hug. For a moment he resisted, then he relaxed and snuggled closer. "So, how old are you, Toby?"

"Sixteen." He said, holding his head up and looking me squarely in the eyes.

I smiled. "Really?"

"Yes."

"Right OK… because I thought you were more like twelve or thirteen."

"How old are you?" He asked, putting his head on one side.

"Twenty."

"Oh…" There was a pause. "I'm actually twelve, you were right."

I grinned and chuckled. "See, you can't kid a kidder."

"What?" He asked, looking at me in confusion.

"Don't worry about it." I told him with a laugh. "Look, stay here for a minute… I'm gonna go and see what's going on."

"_It's only a matter of time before everyone gets bruised…_" The Doctor was saying as I joined them. He trailed off, looking at me intently. Then he sighed. "_My ship. It can sail us all away from here. You and me, we fetch it._" He said to the Captain. "_Let's go._"

"_You're not the Captain here, remember?_" Avery reminded him, drawing his pistol again.

Before the Doctor could complain, there was a loud screeching noise and we turned to see a green arm protruding from a barrel of water. Toby stood beside it, the lid clutched in his hands. In an instant the Doctor had ripped it from his grasp and was putting it back over the barrel, pushing it down with all his might.

"I thought I told you to look after Toby?" He shouted at me. "Fat lot of good you are!"

"_The water's dangerous!_" Avery shouted, before I could respond indignantly to the Doctor's words. "_That's how she gets through. One touch of her hand and you're a dead man._"

"_We're all cursed if we stay aboard._" The Boatswain prophesised gloomily.

Breathing heavily and shaking his head, the Doctor stepped forwards. "_It's not a curse! Curse means game over. Curse means we're helpless. We are not helpless! Captain, what's our next move?_"

"We go and get your ship."

"Right!"

Avery took a chain from round his neck and hung it on his son. "_Wait with the boy._" He commanded the remaining two members of his crew.

"_Captain, we're all in danger here._" The pirate argued.

"_I said wait and barricade the door after we've gone._"

"_Sure you wanna go?_" Amy asked the Doctor softly.

He nodded. "_We have to get Rory and Toby away. She's out there now; licking her lips, boiling a saucepan, grating cheese…_"

"_OK…_" She replied slowly, glancing in my direction at his choice of words. I arched an eyebrow. "_Well remember, if you get an itch, don't scratch too hard._"

"_We've all gotta go sometime._" He said with a shrug. Sending Amy a slightly wary look, the Doctor edged closer to Rory and muttered in his ear. "_There are worse ways than having your face snogged off by a dodgy mermaid._" He turned and spotted me hovering by the open door. "Oi, where do you think you're going?"

"I'm coming with you." I said. The answer was perfectly obvious to me.

"No, I told you to look after Toby." The Doctor snapped.

Glaring at him, I put my hands on my hips. "Rory and Amy can do that. You might need my help."

"I think we'll manage. It's too dangerous out there… psychotic mermaids and all that. You're much better off in here."

Exhaling sharply in indignation I stamped over to where the boy was sitting and dropped down beside him, sulking. The door closed and the Doctor and Captain Avery were gone. Immediately the two pirates began barricading the door. I watched them in silence, glaring at their backs.

"You OK?" I muttered at last. Toby had been violently coughing non-stop since the Doctor and his father had left. "I'd get you some water, but…"

He shrugged. "I know… it's too dangerous. I'll be alright."

"_What's going on?_" Amy demanded suddenly, causing us both to look up.

"_We're not staying here to mollycoddle the boy._" The Boatswain told her gruffly. The two pirates were taking down the barricade. "_The Captain's gone soft. It's time for us to leave._"

"You can't." I snapped, getting to my feet and glaring at them. "You can't just go."

"_He told you to wait, you dog._" Toby snapped, appearing at my side. "_He's your Captain; a Naval officer. You're honour bound to do as he tells you._"

"_Honour-bound? D'you know what kind of ship this is?_" The Boatswain asked in a low voice. Amy wrapped an arm around Toby protectively. "_D'you know what your father does?_"

"_Don't listen to him, Toby._" Amy murmured softly.

"Shut up, now." I ordered the man, pointing at him fiercely.

He chuckled. "_We sail under the black flag; the Jolly Roger._"

"_Liar!_" Toby shouted, jumping forwards. "_He's no wicked pirate!_"

"_Oh, you think so?_"

"That's enough!" I shouted again.

"_I have seen your father gun down a thousand innocent men._"

There was a pause and then Toby turned and went back to where he'd been sitting. I glanced at Amy and Rory and was about to follow the boy when he reappeared, a cutlass clutched in his hands and pointing wildly at the pirates.

"_You're going to remain at your post._" He ordered.

"_I am not playing games with you, boy. You put that down._"

Toby didn't move. "_One more step and I'll use this, you blackguard._"

"_You don't know how to fight with a cutlass, boy._" The Boatswain pointed out, his voice shaking.

"_Don't need to, do I?_" Toby said. He darted forward and the pirate gave a cry of pain as the cutlass pierced his skin.

He stared at the cut for a moment, before turning his hand to stare at his palm. "_You little swabber…_"

"_Congratulations, made it to the menu._" Amy snapped. "_Probably shouldn't go out there now._"

"_You scurvy ape!_"

"Don't even think about it." I hissed warningly as the pirate drew his pistol, pushing Toby behind me.

"_Don't shoot! The powder will blow and kill us all!_" Rory pointed out urgently.

The second pirate pulled the keys off the Boatswain's belt. "_Mulligan… what are you doing?_"

There was no answer as he opened the door and vanished from sight. The Boatswain breathed heavily, panicked by the sudden change of circumstances.

"_No honour among pirates._" Amy said, a slight smirk on her face.

Lowering his pistol, the pirate set about blocking up the door again.


	135. Swords and Birthday Presents 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Swords and Birthday Presents**

There was a loud banging on the door and then shouting. "_Amy! Open the door!_"

"_Toby!_" Avery joined in. "_Open the door! Toby!_"

At once we were on our feet, moving the barrels aside to let them in. The Doctor burst in and rushed at the young boy. He pulled the necklace Captain Avery had given him out of his hands and started breathing on it. I watched in amused confusion as he continued to do so, before sending a thumbs up to the Captain. They both looked incredibly relieved.

And then the Doctor was off again, running for the door with the necklace still in his hand.

"What was that about?" Rory asked slowly, looking between us.

I shrugged. "Who knows?"

We waited for a while longer and the two men returned. Amy, Rory, Toby and I started talking at once until the Captain roared for us to be quiet and we fell silent.

"What are we going to do?" I demanded, taking the chance to get my voice heard.

"We just have to wait now."

"_Just wait?_" Rory snapped.

"_Not my most dynamic plan, I realise._" The Doctor admitted.

Amy narrowed her eyes. "_TARDIS._"

"_It's been towed…_"

"_What?_" Amy and I demanded together.

"_Sorry… we might be stuck here for a while._"

"Fantastic." I muttered, rolling my eyes and folding my arms across my chest. "Just brilliant."

Rory folded his arms as well. "_Oh, so you're saying that we should all just wait here below?_"

"_The sea is still calm._" The Captain explained. "_Like a mirror. If you go out on deck, she'll rise up and attack you._"

"Yeah… that's what happened to the angry pirate dude who annoyed Tobes here." I said with a sharp nod.

"What?" The Doctor asked. Then he shook his head and carried on. "_It's OK. The calm won't last forever. When the wind picks up, we'll all set sail._"

"_Until it does, you have to hide down here._"

"How long will that take?" I muttered in annoyance to Amy while the others chatted a little way off. "And then what? Without the TARDIS what are we gonna do?"

She shrugged. "Who knows."

Time went by slowly and it was a relief to curl up on the floor under the pirate coat and get some sleep. At least while I was sleeping I didn't notice how incredibly slowly time was passing. It took a while to drop off, the slight movement of the ship and the comforting sound of Rory and Amy breathing beside me helped.

I was jolted awake sometime later by Amy, sitting bolt upright and knocking me as she moved.

"S'matter?" I murmured sleepily, yawning and rubbing my eyes. "You alright?"

"Yeah… I just… did you see that?" She asked, staring at the wooden wall in front of us.

"See what?" I asked, following her gaze.

Amy shook her head and lay down on her back, staring at the ceiling. "A woman… there was… never mind."

With a shrug I closed my eyes and in moments was asleep once more.

x-x

I was rudely awoken by the Doctor leaning over me and shouting 'man the sails' in my face. Swatting at him, I climbed to my feet, stretched and followed him onto deck. No sooner had I emerged from the safety of the cabin when I was instantly soaked by a mixture of sea water and rain. The calm had finally broken and a storm had taken its place.

Captain Avery was shouting something, but I could only make out odd words. After hearing 'dogs', 'avast' and 'clews' I glanced at Amy for clarification. She shrugged.

"_I swear he's making half this stuff up!_" She shouted over the noise of the storm.

"I have no idea what he's even saying!" I agreed, yanking on a rope with all my might.

"_Well we're gonna need some kind of phrase book._" Rory yelled back.

"_Toby! Find my coat!_" The Captain ordered, spotting his son. "_My compass is inside it, boy!_"

Spotting Toby struggling with the heavy coat, I stopped pulling ropes to help him. Something sharp caught my leg as I passed a pile of crates and sacks. I swore loudly, glancing down quickly and seeing blood flowing from long, deep gash that ran the length of my calf. Dreading what I would see, I turned my hand over and looked at my palm. Sure enough there was a large, black circle.

"I guess the siren doesn't only go after men." I shouted, trying to make light of the situation.

"Evie?" The Doctor called, leaping towards me and grabbing my hand.

"I'll be fine. It's just a cut. You got rid of all the reflective surfaces, right?"

He nodded and returned to the wheel. I grinned at Toby who was looking worried and winked. Together we hoisted the heavy coat once more and set off towards the Captain. A particularly violent wave knocked us sideways and I lost my grip on the coat. There was a thud and a clatter and something rolled across the deck.

Everyone watched, frozen to the spot as the crown rolled along the deck, knowing what it meant. No one was able to move as it came to a halt and settled on the ground.

This time when the blue light shone and I heard the singing, something inside of me gave way. I had a strange, warm, fuzzy feeling inside and I wasn't scared anymore. This time the siren seemed even more beautiful than she had before. She shot high into the air, before descending quickly, her hand outstretched. There was something inviting about her and I wanted nothing more than to reach out and touch her.

I barely registered the shouts that were aimed in my vague direction as I started walking slowly towards her. Toby was just ahead of me, walking with his arm outstretched. I beamed, almost there. We reached her at exactly the same moment, our hands touching hers.

"Evie!" The Doctor's voice broke through the moment and I turned my head to look at him, my eyes wide.

Then I screamed and everything went black.


	136. Swords and Birthday Presents 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Swords and Birthday Presents**

"Wakey, wakey!" A voice was saying, accompanied by a slight pain in my cheek. I blinked several times.

"Wha…?" I murmured.

"Ahh, good! Evie's awake." The Doctor shouted. Suddenly he loomed over me, his face inches from mine. "Hello!"

Groggily I tried to sit up, licking my lips and swallowing a few times. Something seemed to be holding me in place. "What's going on?"

"You're on an alien ship. We worked out what the siren is… she's a doctor! Her song was anaesthetising the crew – and you, of course – then she hooked them up to these systems to 'fix' them." He explained. "Why are you still lying there! Come on, hurry up! I had to sign a consent form to say I'd take responsibility for you."

I glanced at the look of disgust on his face. "Thanks?"

"Oh… don't sound too grateful then."

"Doctor? Evie? We have to go!" Amy shouted over to us from the suspended bed where Rory was lying.

Glancing in her direction I smiled at the doctor and slipped off my own bed. "Thanks."

"Yeah, well… come on!" He muttered, looking a little embarrassed.

As we reached the bed, Amy pulled a tube out of the side, causing alarms to go off and Rory to start choking. The Doctor looked up from his sonic screwdriver in panic.

"_He can't breathe!_" He told her quickly. "_Turn it back on!_"

Hurriedly Amy plugged the tube back in and stepped back. She stared at her husband in horror, not knowing what to do.

"_What do we do? I can't just leave him here._"

"_He'll die if you take him out._" Captain Avery told her. He was standing beside another suspended bed, which contained his son.

"_Rory? Rory, wake up._"

Slowly Rory opened his eyes. "_Where am I?_"

"_You're in a hospital._" The Doctor informed him gently. "_If you leave, you might die._"

"_But if you don't, you'll have to stay forever._"

"_You're saying that if I don't get up now…_"

"_You can never leave._" Amy finished his sentence and nodded tearfully.

The Doctor smiled weakly. "_The siren will keep you safe._"

"She's a doctor." I added quietly.

"_And… if I come with you?_" Rory asked, ignoring the Doctor and me and looking directly at his wife.

"_Drowning, on the point of death._"

There was a pause and then Rory seemed to gain a new determination. "_I'm a nurse._"

"_What?_"

"_I can teach you how to save me._" He said firmly.

"_Whoa! Hold on…_"

"_I was drowning…_" He carried on, ignoring her. "_You just have to resuscitate me._"

"_Just?_" Amy half laughed in panic.

"_You've seen them do it loads of times in films; CRP, the kiss of life._"

Amy shook her head. "_Rory, this isn't a film, OK? What if I do it wrong?_"

"_You won't."_

"_OK… what if you don't come back to life? What if…_"

He silenced her with a shake of his head. "_I trust you._"

"_What about him, hmm?_" Amy asked after a moment's hesitation, glancing at the Doctor, she seemed to be looking for any other option. "Or Evie? _I mean, why do I have to be the one? Why do I have to save you?_"

As she spoke, the Doctor moved away, showing more tact than usual. I did the same, moving to slide down the wall and sit on the floor, my legs crossed and my head in my hands. Then I winced and glanced down. There was still a long, deep gash running the length of my calf. I prodded it experimentally and swallowed down a couple of swear words that accompanied the burst of white hot pain that jolted through my flesh.

I watched as Amy agreed to try saving Rory and he started teaching her the technique. I watched as the Doctor spoke to Captain Avery and looked at Toby, seemingly asleep in the bed. Then I glanced down and gave my leg another painful prod.

"Evie?" The Doctor muttered, signalling for me to return to Rory's beside. I clambered quickly to my feet and joined them.

"_I know you can do this._" Rory said softly to his wife. "_Of course, if you muck it up I am going to be really cross. And dead._"

We all smiled, relieved that he was still his old self, even at a time like this. Then each of us took a deep breath.

"_I'll see you in a minute._" Amy told him, before pulling the tube out once more.

The Doctor ripped the supporting panels off and I freed him from the neck restraint. Together we helped him towards the TARDIS. I moved ahead to open the doors. They sprang open as I approached; the old girl seeming to realise that we were in a hurry.

Inside, the Doctor and Amy laid Rory gently on the floor and Amy started CPR. The Doctor and I could only sit back and watch as she did her best to revive him. I knelt beside the red-head, willing Rory to wake up with everything I had.

"_Come on. Come on, Rory!_" The Doctor pleaded. "_Not here. Not this way. Not today!_"

"Please, please, please…" I murmured, biting my fingernails nervously as I watched Amy growing more and more desperate.

"_He trusted me… he trusted me to save him…_"

The Doctor grasped her shoulder. "_You still can. You can still do this. He believes in you. Come on, Amy! Come on!_"

"Gramps…" I whispered, too quietly for them to hear. "Please, Gramps, wake up!"

I caught sight of the Doctor's face as Amy cried desperately. He looked as though he'd lost all hope. I squeezed my eyes closed. This was too soon. Rory didn't die now; he couldn't.

"_Please, please, please wake up!_" Amy begged.

Then she started to sob, leaning over Rory and shaking with emotion. The Doctor sat back on his heels, rubbing his face tiredly. I cried, letting my tears rush silently down my cheeks as I stared at the lifeless figure on the floor. Amy turned to look at me, before I wrapped my arms around her, burying my face in her shoulder and holding her tightly.

I looked up as a coughing sound filled my ears.

Then I looked at Amy and the Doctor, before looking back down at Rory. My mouth dropped open as he moved, coughing up the sea water in his lungs. Totally relieved, I found that I was crying even more. The Doctor stood up, running his hands through his hair and moving towards the console.

I, too, moved away as they embraced, clinging onto each other as though letting go would be the worst thing in the world. Standing beside the Doctor, I glanced at him and he smiled down at me.

x-x

"You sticking around?" The Doctor asked me a while later when Rory had had a bath and reappeared in pyjamas and a dressing gown.

I shrugged and smirked. "You haven't given me my birthday present yet, so I may as well."

"Cheeky!" He chuckled.

"_I thought I was an excellent pirate._" Amy announced as she and Rory headed up the stairs to the corridor which led to their bedroom.

"_I thought you were an excellent nurse._" Her husband replied.

"_Easy, tiger!_"

I pulled a face. "Eww…"

"_Goodnight, Doctor,_ Evie." Amy said, turning at the top and smiling down at us.

"_Goodnight, Amelia._" The Time Lord replied. I shot her a grin and a salute from the seat beside the console.

"_You only call me Amelia when you're worrying about me._"

"_I always worry about you._"

There was a slight pause and an odd expression crossed Amy's face. "_Mutual._"

"_Go to bed, Pond._"

I leapt to my feet and moved behind the Doctor, looking at the console screen. My eyes almost popped out of my head at the image displayed there and I shot a quick glance to the now empty staircase before speaking.

"You are kidding me?"

The Doctor jumped slightly. "Evie! It's rude to sneak up on people. Not to mention dangerous!"

"Amy's pregnant?" I demanded excitedly, knowing what that meant. Then my face fell, realising that the readings were switching quickly between positive and negative. "Hang on… what does that mean? Don't worry, I won't say anything. I'm used to spoilers, remember?" He looked at me for a long moment. Then he sighed and turned, leaning against the console and rubbing his eyes tiredly. "Doctor?"

"I don't know what it means, Evie. I really don't know."


	137. Ghosts

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Ghosts**

Age: 45

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: July 2014

* * *

><p>"We've got another one!" Gwen shouted from her position in from of the computer monitor. "On Ynys Y Coed, just off Fairwood Road in Llandaff."<p>

"That's by Rookwood Hospital, right?" Donna asked, glancing up from the pile of papers spread out over the desk in front of her. "The University hospital. It mainly deals in spinal injuries and rehabilitation and brain injuries."

"That's the one." Jack agreed, leaning over Gwen's shoulder to look at the footage.

I strode towards the doors, throwing Jack the keys to the SUV as I passed. "We better get going then."

"You're on filing duty, ginge." He reminded me, grabbing his coat and following me out.

"So?" I shrugged, deciding to ignore his chosen term of addressing me. "There are ghosts appearing all over the city and you want me to stay here and make sure your paperwork is in order? I don't think so, Uncle Jack."

"Leave off, Jack! We need all hands on deck with this one." Gwen pointed out as she and Donna followed us out of the Hub.

"What is this? A feminism thing?" Donna, Gwen and I all stopped abruptly, glaring at him. Jack held up his hands. "I was joking!"

None of us spoke to him as we drove through the streets quickly, heading for the hospital where the most recent ghost sighting had been reported. Slamming the doors of the SUV, we stalked away, Gwen holding the tracking device aloft and scanning for the now familiar readings that accompanied these sightings.

I raised my Vortex Manipulator, looking for traces of rift or temporal activity. Jack's theory was that there was some kind of temporal displacement rolling out from the rift. Apparently he and Gwen had seen something similar before. The beeping on the Manipulator increased, turning into a constant drone as I approached a bench.

"Jack?"

At once he was at my side, turning my wrist and looking at the readings. "Temporal shift, as I thought… something's altered the way time is interacting with itself. Memories of the past, stored as echoes in the environment are being amplified and played back, giving the impression of ghosts."

"Great. So we have an explanation, which is brilliant, but what are we going to do about it?" Donna asked, putting her hands on her hips and looking at her husband expectantly.

Jack didn't answer for a moment, dropping my arm and looking up the road. "What's up there?"

"Dead end." Gwen told him with a shrug. "This is just a normal, small residential street; there are only six houses."

"I want information on all residents, any anomalies, anything odd that might indicate the presence of a temporal shift device." He ordered turning slowly on the spot. "Formation 12. Donna and Evie start down that end, Gwen and I will start here."

"Formation 12?" I muttered in Donna's ear, raising an eyebrow as we headed to the opposite end of the cul-de-sac.

She rolled her eyes and let out a long breath. "He means do a door-to-door pretending to be investigating something."

"Great… this is exactly what I signed up for!" I told her sarcastically.

"You've been working for Torchwood longer than me." Donna pointed out as we walked down the pathway and she rang the doorbell.

"Yeah, but I generally ignore him when he says stupid stuff like that."

Donna grinned at me as the front door opened and a woman with a toddler balanced on her hip opened it. She looked us up and down suspiciously for a moment, her head tilted to one side.

"Can I help you?"

"Good afternoon." Donna greeted her smoothly, flashing the woman a broad smile and a card that was almost definitely her Torchwood ID. I mirrored her quickly. "We're from the water board investigating several complaints in this area. Have you noticed any problems with your water supply? Change in colour? Any problems with pressure in the taps?"

"Umm…" The woman glanced over her shoulder into the house. "I haven't really noticed…"

"Do you mind if we come in and have a quick look, Mrs…"

"Carpenter." She didn't really have the chance to turn down Donna's request before we were inside the house. "And you are?"

"Donna Noble and this is my colleague, Evie Song."

The woman chuckled. "Sounds like a TV crime series… Noble and Song."

I grinned. "It feels like it sometimes."

Donna was fiddling with the kitchen taps, but I knew that was just cover for checking out the garden. She took a sample of the water and slipped it into her pocket, before turning with a smile to face us. "Would you mind showing Evie to the bathroom so she can check the water there?"

"Of course." Mrs Carpenter nodded and led the way out of the room. The toddler on her hip peered at me through her hair and I smiled, sticking my tongue out at him.

"How old is he?"

"Charlie is two, aren't you?"

"He's adorable. They're at their cutest at that age, aren't they? It's only trouble from then on." I told her with a grin, my eyes darting around for anything interesting as she opened a door off the landing and showed me into the bathroom.

"Tell me about it!" Mrs Carpenter laughed. "He's my fourth. You've got kids? You don't look old enough."

Then it was my turn to laugh. She had no idea that I was probably older than she was. "Just the one; Jess. She'll be six in October."

We chatted about children as I took a sample of the water and retreated back down the stairs to join Donna. After a few questions, we established that she hadn't seen anyone acting suspiciously in the area – or interfering with the water mains – and there also didn't seem to be anything giving off the readings my Vortex Manipulator had captured. After thanking her, Donna and I headed back out onto the street.

"At last!" Jack shouted as we started towards the next house. "You've been there for ages. Anything?"

"Nothing." His wife told him with a shake of her head.

"You found anything?" I asked.

"First three houses, nothing." Jack told us smugly. "Fourth house was overflowing with readings."

"Fourth? How did you do four houses?" I asked in disbelief.

Jack smirked. "Go in, ask the relevant questions, take a look around, move on."

"So…" Donna rolled her eyes. "What did you find?"

"Temporal distortion pod." Gwen said, holding out a small metallic sphere. I took it from her hands and turned it over, looking at it closely. The readings on my Vortex Manipulator went crazy at the contact.

"What is it?"

"Exactly what it says on the tin. It's a transportation device. The pod uses temporal shifts to move through time, distorting it as it goes." Jack explained, plucking the device from me. "The ghosts were caused by the partial tearing of the wall between the origin and destination times. Easy enough to repair now we know what's caused it."

He pocketed the pod and we headed back towards the SUV. Jack slung an arm around Donna's shoulders and I walked behind them with Gwen. She started chatting about what she and her family had done at the weekend. I listened, asking questions about Anwen and Osian and laughing at the funny stories Gwen told me about them.

"Right…" Jack announced as soon as we were back in the Hub. "Donna, write up the reports and Gwen I want you to see what you can find out about this thing. Look up news reports, government files, anything that looks as though it might be related. We need to patch up all the tears."

"What am I doing, Jack?" I asked, leaning against the railings of the small platform just above the centre of the Hub.

"Filing, Evie."

"What?"

"You know the drill… you do the crime, you do the time. It's simple." He said with a shrug, folding his arms.

"It wasn't my fault!" I complained. "It was pissing it down! I slipped on the rock and smacked the detonation on the ground! How long am I gonna be on filing duty for this?"

"Well I was buried for three months… let's start there and see where we end up."

I turned to my Aunt, pulling a face. "Donna!"

"Sorry, sweetheart, Jack's in charge around here." She apologised with a shrug. He smiled and headed up to his office. The door closed before Donna continued with a smirk. "But I'll speak to him tonight and get him to drop the punishment."


	138. Jammie Dodgers

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Jammie Dodgers**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter is written from River's perspective.**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 8

Location: The TARDIS

Date: -

* * *

><p>It all started with an argument about which is the best kind of biscuits.<p>

The Doctor was adamant that there was nothing better than a Jammie Dodger. Evie, on the other hand, swore blind that the best biscuits in the world were the ones that Mum gave her. It took us a while to work out that she meant Garibaldis, because neither of us understood what she meant by 'dead fly ones' – the Doctor was sure she was referring to the biscuits he'd once tried on Flatzor Nine which were made with actual dead flies.

I had only popped to the library to grab a book and when I came back to the console room, Evie was standing on the chair beside the console with her arms folded and her face set in a look of fierce determination. The Doctor was staring at her through slightly narrowed eyes, equally determined.

"What's happened?" I asked, wondering whether Evie had tried to grow cress in one of the Doctor's socks again.

"She is refusing to admit that Jammie Dodgers are the best biscuits." The Doctor said, pointing at her.

I stared at him for a moment, wondering whether he was serious. "So? She's eight?"

"Yes, but this is important. Someone who refuses to admit the worth of Jammie Dodgers isn't someone I can work with."

"Doctor, she's eight." I repeated, fixing him with an expression which clearly showed that I thought he'd gone mad.

"She's still wrong."

Evie narrowed her eyes further, and jutted out her bottom lip angrily. "He's wrong. Squashed fly biscuits are way better. Ask Gran."

The Doctor mumbled something that sounded remarkably like, 'well your Gran is stupid', earning himself a glare from me. Then he made a grunting sound in his throat and turned away to bash angrily on the controls, making the TARDIS buck and jolt violently around us. I leapt forwards and grabbed Evie around the waist before she tumbled to the floor, setting her down gently and smacking the Doctor on the shoulder. He didn't even flinch.

"What are you doing?" I demanded, craning my neck to check the scanner. "Why are we going to the Mastocian Cluster. There's nothing interesting there apart from…"

"… apart from the Resolution Courts." The Doctor finished, causing me to groan and put my face in my hands.

"You cannot be serious."

"Completely." He told me firmly. "When it comes to Jammie Dodgers I never joke."

"So you're going to drag an eight-year-old girl to the Resolution Courts just to prove you're right about a stupid biscuit debate?" I hissed. "You are not taking my daughter there."

"But–"

"No, Doctor."

"You agree with her, don't you?" He asked pointing at me accusingly. "You think the boring fly biscuits are better."

"No." I assured him shaking my head. "I really don't care about biscuits."

Before the Doctor could move the landing lever and bring us down in the Resolution Courts I jumped to the controls, flipping switches and turning dials. The TARDIS herself seemed just as eager to foil his plans and didn't complain as I abruptly changed her course. The Doctor folded his arms and pouted. Evie smirked.

"Where are you going?" I asked as she shot us a final, satisfied grin and turned towards the corridors.

"I'm going to the library."

"Why?" The Doctor asked.

She regarded him for a moment before giggling. "I'm either going to find a book about the Universe's worst losers, or I'm going to invent a game called Throw the Doctor in the Vortex."

As she left the room, the Doctor waggled his finger in my face, spluttering slightly. I laughed and moved out of the line of fire, pulling the scanner after me.

"That girl…" He started in frustration. "She's a…"

"Chip off the old block?"

"I was going to say menace, but that'll do just as well, I suppose." He agreed, the ghost of a smile taking over his face.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written after a prompt from Citizenofwhoville123, who said, "It would be awesome to see more of really little Evie again! I liked those chapters especially."**_


	139. Worse than the Children

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Worse than the Children**

Age: 45

Location: Chiswick, London, Earth

Date: September 2020

* * *

><p>"Jess!" I shouted up the stairs, hanging onto the bannister to look up to the landing above. "We're going to be late! You know what Nana's like when that happens. She goes on and on about the food going cold for hours!"<p>

"I'm coming!" My six-year-old daughter shouted agitatedly from her bedroom.

I rolled my eyes and let out a long sigh, retreating to the living room to check my reflection in the mirror over the fireplace. Flicking a long, wavy strand of ginger hair off my shoulder I scrutinised my appearance, tilting my head from side to side. I really needed a haircut, I decided, taking hold of the strand that had already snaked back over my shoulder between two fingers and staring at it.

"Ready!" Jessica announced leaping into the room and putting her hands on her hips. Glancing at her, I burst out laughing. She pouted, folding her arms over her chest, which made me laugh even more. "What?"

"You look adorable."

She glared at me. Obviously she'd snuck into my bedroom when I was doing something and borrowed some of my makeup. The effect she'd created was one of being attacked by lipstick and eye shadow. Instead of putting mascara on her eyelashes, she had used it to draw eyelashes on her eyelids instead. On her cheeks were circles of deep-red lipstick and she had used eye-liner to outline her lips. It was totally ridiculous.

"Stop it!" Jessica shouted, pouting even more as I wiped my eyes which were streaming as I struggled to contain my amusement.

"Come on." I said with a smile, putting my hands on her shoulders and propelling her up the stairs and into the bathroom. Washing off the makeup, I removed all traces before drying her off gently and turning her to look at me. "Much better."

"I wanted to look pretty, like Auntie Jenny."

I struggled to contain another burst of laughter and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You did. But now you look like Jessica again and that's much better."

Not looking convinced, she rolled her eyes and allowed me to propel her back down the stairs. I handed her a jacket and we headed outside. Jessica moved her arm as we walked round the corner to Nan's house, causing our joined hands to swing backward and forward wildly.

"What are we having for lunch?" She asked as we waited on the doorstep.

"Roast dinner."

"What kind of roast dinner?"

I looked at her and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know! Wait and see!"

She opened her mouth to protest, but the door opened, preventing her from doing so. Nan smiled at us, pressing a kiss to my cheek before taking Jessica's face in her hands and kissing her forehead. My daughter wriggled free, pushing past and going in search of her cousins. I rolled my eyes at Nan and followed her into the hallway, hanging up mine and Jessica's coats on the hallstand.

"Sorry about Jess, Nan. You'd think she never saw Donna or Jenny or the kids. She's been going on about them all morning, wanting to know whether it was time to come round yet."

Sylvia laughed and put an arm around my shoulders. "Zoe, Sam and Hannah have been the same! I think Jenny will be glad Jess is here, perhaps she'll get a minute's piece now!"

"D'you need any help?" I asked, laughing along with her.

She shook her head. "Go and pour yourself a glass of wine and sit down for a moment. Lunch won't be long and Dad's been looking forward to seeing you."

I nodded and did as she commanded. Carrying my glass in one hand, I took a sip as I passed the French doors out into the garden and saw my daughter and cousins running around shouting and laughing as they played some kind of game. I wasn't surprised to see Jack running after them, roaring like a dinosaur and sweeping his younger daughter over his shoulder as he caught her. Neither was I remotely surprised to see that Jessica already had a grass-stain on the left leg of her jeans and a muddy patch on her t-shirt.

"Hey, Gramps!" I smiled down at my great-grandfather as soon as I entered the conservatory. He started to stand up, but I shook my head and bent, pressing a kiss to the top of his head and settling myself on the settee beside him. "How are you feeling?"

He wafted his hand at me, signalling me to stop fussing. "It was just a cold! I'm fine, sweetheart!"

"Gramps! It was pneumonia! You need to look after yourself." I scolded him. "Are you warm enough?"

"Evie! It's August and I'm in the conservatory, which is like a sauna. Stop fussing girl!"

"Actually, it's September." I pointed out. He rolled his eyes and I smiled. "Fine." I agreed reluctantly. Taking another sip, I looked through the window into the garden. "Where are Donna and Jen?"

"They popped to Tesco. Your Nan forgot to pick up mint sauce."

"Ooh! We're having lamb then? My favourite!"

Gramps chuckled. "I know!"

Before long, the front door opened and closed and my sister's voice reached me, closely followed by a peal of laughter which was unmistakable as Donna's. They went into the kitchen and Sylvia's voice joined the conversation. Moments later, Jenny's face poked around the door and she beamed at me.

"Hey, Evs." She said, coming into the room and crossing to take hold of the handles of Gramps' wheelchair. "Can you call the kids, lunch is ready."

I nodded and moved to the window, tapping on it to attract Jack's attention and signalling for them to come in. He beamed and waved and I rolled my eyes as, sensing he was distracted, all four children launched themselves at him, knocking him to the ground and leaping on top of him. Laughing, I followed Jenny and Gramps to the kitchen, taking my seat at the table and smiling at Jessica as she ran in and breathlessly dropped into the chair beside me.

"Alright, sweetie?" I asked her as Donna put my plate in front of me. Leaning over, I started putting food on Jess's plate.

For a while the conversation revolved around the children and school, safely away from Torchwood. After half an hour or so, when we'd moved on to the apple crumble, the conversation inevitably turned to the Doctor. Sam, probably more so than his siblings, was intrigued by Dad. Whenever he visited, the boy would ask him endless questions. According to Gramps he kept a notebook filled with everything he knew about him. Personally I worried about this, in case it fell into the wrong hands.

"So then your Mum tripped over a cyberman arm and went crashing into a table." Jenny was saying, looking at Jessica. "The box fell on the floor and smashed everywhere and we had to run."

"Are you telling them about Dranquzo?" I asked, raising my eyebrows and Jenny nodded. "That is so inaccurate it's not funny."

"Go on then, you tell the story." Jenny challenged.

I stuck my tongue out at her. "I will. It started because Dad decided that he needed to introduce us to some culture and took us to Dranquzo, which is known as the Museum planet. It was really boring, so we started messing around and poking each other when Mum and Dad's backs were turned. We were looking at some 22nd century art pieces, when Jenny shoved me and I tripped over one of the sculptures, which was called something stupid like Cyber Dreams, and landed in one of the others."

"Because you're clumsy."

"No, because you're mean!"

"And you're clumsy!" Jenny repeated, grinning.

"Mean!"

"Clumsy!"

"Donna!" I winged after several moments of this, knowing that my tone would annoy my aunt immensely. "Tell her!"

The red-head sighed, shooting Jenny and I a withering look. "Evie, Jenny, you are grown women. Can't you for once act your ages?"


	140. Old

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Old**

Age: 39

Location: Leadworth, England, Earth

Date: November 2015

* * *

><p>My grandparents' house materialised quickly in front of me as the Vortex Manipulator brought me through the Vortex. I looked at the house for a moment, taking several deep breaths as I prepared myself for the conversation which I knew had to take place.<p>

With help from my parents, I'd worked out that I needed to come to 2038 to break the news that I was going to have a baby. Any later and apparently I might bump into future me, along with my child.

Taking another deep breath, I opened the gate and made my way up the path and rang the doorbell, pulling my jacket around me, managing to hide the seven-month-pregnant bump. The events on board the Valiant were still fresh in my mind. Less than a week ago I'd returned from the ship and was still trying to force myself to forget. The large bump that stopped me touching my toes was preventing me from being able to so that.

Behind me, the door opened and a squeal let me know that it was my grandmother without me even needing to turn around. When I did, however, I was just as shocked as Amy. Her eyes were glued on my stomach, while mine were fixed on her face.

I had clearly arrived far too early.

"Hi." I said as cheerfully as I could manage, forcing a smile.

"What…?" Gran demanded, pointing at my stomach and seemingly unable to form full sentences.

"Oh, yeah… I had a big breakfast." I joked weakly. Gran didn't even smile. "Can I come in?"

Without speaking, Amy moved aside and I went in, shrugging off my jacket and hanging it up on the hallstand. For a couple of moments we sat in silence. It was incredibly uncomfortable. I wasn't used to my Grandmother being so quiet. Normally I couldn't get a word in.

I sneaked a glance at her under my hair and saw that she was sitting with her hands in her lap, picking at her nail varnish absent-mindedly. Her face looked vaguely grey.

"Gran… are you alright?" I asked quietly.

She nodded. "What's new with you?"

I furrowed my eyebrows, slightly confused. "I'm pregnant."

"Tea?" Gran asked, standing up abruptly and almost running to the kitchen.

"Umm… yeah, thanks."

"So, tell me about what's going on in your life. How's Tom?" She called from the kitchen.

I felt a lump rising in my throat and bit my lip. I could feel tears stinging in my eyes. "He's dead."

There was a clatter from the kitchen and Gran's face appeared around the doorframe. "What?"

"He died. I… I shot him."

"What?"

"There was an accident at work. I… he got possessed and I had no choice." I told her, tears actually falling from my eyes now.

Acting normal for the first time since I'd arrived, Gran crossed the room and gathered me up in her arms, rocking me as I sobbed. She stroked my hair gently and pressed kisses to the top of my head. After a couple of minutes, I rubbed my eyes and took several steadying breaths.

"Is it his… baby?" Gran asked quietly, acknowledging my pregnancy for the first time.

"No… there was… it's a long story, but no. It's not."

Not pushing me for further details, Gran nodded and stood up again. "Well, you definitely need that tea now." I laughed weakly and followed her to the kitchen. "My granddaughter is having a baby… I feel so old! It was bad enough finding out that the Doctor was my son-in-law and my daughter was all grown up!"

"I know what you mean. Imagine it from my perspective. My Mum looks older than my grandparents and my Dad's over a thousand years old! Oh, and I have two hearts and can change my face by coming close to dying."

Gran laughed. "Fair point."

We took our tea into the living room and settled on the sofa. I filled Gran in on what had been happening in my life since she'd last seen me. Apparently I'd been ten years younger when she'd last seen me, so it was difficult to remember what she did and didn't know. Mum and Dad were far stricter about 'spoilers' than me. My philosophy was that as long as I didn't tell anyone anything that would drastically change the future it was fine.

While we were discussing the fact that in a couple of years' time, from Gran's perspective, there would be another remake of Pride and Prejudice, her favourite film, the front door opened and Gramps entered the room.

"Hello, sweetheart!" He said, coming in and moving to give us both a kiss. "To what do we owe this… WOAH!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written from a prompt by **__**Misery Loves Sarah; I want a chapter where Amy finds out she's going to be a great grandmother. I imagine she will take it with all her usual grace...**_ _**So here it is! I hope you enjoy it! :) **_


	141. Chocolate and Cheese

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Chocolate and Cheese**

_**A/N: This chapter is written from River's perspective.**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: -

Location: The TARDIS

Date: -

* * *

><p>"Sweetie!" I called from the console room. The Doctor had vanished somewhere or other. A gentle nudge in my mind from the TARDIS told me that he was in the library. "Sweetie! I'm hungry."<p>

A couple of moments later I heard the sound of footsteps in the corridor and the Doctor appeared in the doorway looking surprised. "Your voice doesn't half carry!"

"The TARDIS sent it through the speaker system." I replied, rolling my eyes and settling myself more comfortably in the chair. "Can you get me something to eat?"

"What did your last slave die of?" The Doctor muttered under his breath.

I raised an eyebrow. "I shot him for a far smaller crime than getting me up the duff."

"Alright, alright. What would you like?"

"I don't know!" I sighed, pulling a face. "What have we got?"

"Well… I think we've still got some marmalade. I can wrap it in ham like you wanted the other day?" The Doctor offered.

"EW!"

"What?"

"Are you actually trying to poison me?" I demanded.

He looked totally confused. "No… you ate twelve ham and marmalade wraps on Wednesday."

"I didn't, that's gross."

"But you did!" He argued. Obviously sensing that I was about to throw something at him, the Doctor held up his hands. "Fine. What about what you asked for on Monday? Ice cream with olives?"

"No."

"Chicken fried in orange juice?"

"No."

"Chips in banana milkshake?"

"No."

"Broccoli and blancmange?"

"No!" I shouted. "They're all disgusting! Who actually eats those things?"

"You did!" The Doctor retorted. From what I remembered, even if I wasn't going to admit it, he hadn't complained too much either. "Right, well, what do you want?"

"I told you, I don't know!"

The Doctor let out a long, low sigh. "Right, fine. I'll go and see what I can come up with."

He stalked out of the console room in the direction of the kitchen. I folded my arms across my chest, resting them on the huge bump that protruded from where my stomach used to be. Glaring at it, I gave it a gentle prod.

"This is all your fault, you know." I told the baby. "I used to eat normal food, like a normal person."

What seemed like hours later, the Doctor reappeared. Somewhere he'd found a small metal trolley, like they used in posh restaurants, and was wheeling it towards me. On the trolley were several dishes, covered by metal lids.

"What is it?" I demanded, sitting up straight and eyeing the trolley eagerly.

With a flourish, the Doctor removed the lids one by one. "Jammie Dodger Pizza… cubes of cheese dipped in melted chocolate… crisps and gravy… fish fingers and custard – a classic – and, the _pièce de_ résistance, a cheese on toast smoothie."

For a moment I looked at him. The Doctor was clearly wondering whether I was going to aim a slap in his direction. Then I grinned.

"You're brilliant, sweetie, thank you!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written from a prompt by NaviRebel16; I would love to have a chapter where River has weird pregnancy cravings! I know it's short; I'm having serious writer's block issues at the moment! But I hope you enjoyed it. :) **_


	142. Consequences

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Consequences**

Age: 22

Location: The TARDIS

Date: -

Leaving Nan and Gramps house, with Donna waving us off from the doorway, Jenny and I headed back to the TARDIS. I locked the Vortex Manipulator onto the ship's signal and glanced at her, taking a deep breath.

"Ready to face the music?" I asked, pulling a face.

"We're so dead, aren't we?" Jenny sighed.

I nodded and pushed the button, sending us whirling through the Vortex and towards where my parents were waiting. No doubt they'd be waiting for us to arrive before unleashing whatever punishment they'd come up with on us. Somehow they always seemed to know when I'd done something to alter my own history, before I even did it. It was a talent, I supposed, that came with being just as bad themselves.

As soon as we materialised in the console room, the TARDIS nudged our minds, informing us that Mum and Dad were in the library, waiting. Jenny and I glanced at each other. They always went to the library when they were about to tell us off. The atmosphere in there made me feel uncomfortable at the best of times and they knew it. There were just too many books for my liking.

Slowly, feeling as though I was walking to the gallows or something, we headed through the corridors towards them. Annoyingly, the TARDIS shifted rooms around so that in no time we had reached the door to the library. Together Jenny and I opened it, moving inside and looking around.

There was no sign of them at the tables or sofas just inside the door. Rows of bookshelves stretched away, leading to various nooks and crannies around the room with more seats and tables hidden away between them. Dad said it gave him more privacy and made him concentrate more. I accepted this reasoning, not wanting to think about other possible reasons for the increased privacy.

"What d'you think? Is this an a-level physics offence?" Jenny asked in a low voice.

"It might even be a history offence." I replied gloomily.

"As long as it's not–" Jenny started. She wasn't given the chance to continue her sentence, as the TARDIS planted an image in both our minds, showing us where Mum and Dad were.

Jenny looked at me in horror. When Dad was angry, he went to certain parts of the library. If he was just annoyed, he would head to the mechanics section and read up on some sort of procedure. From there it went up to the section about astrology, then to a-level physics where he liked to correct the books and make himself feel cleverer, then to history so he could keep score. When he was really angry Dad went to the children's section. Reading the books there calmed him down for some reason; especially Enid Blyton.

"If he's reading The Faraway Tree I'm out of here." I muttered to my sister as we walked through the bookshelves, turning left at biography and right at cookery.

"Nah, it's the Famous Five we've got to worry about…" Jenny replied with a sigh.

Together we rounded the corner and found ourselves looking straight into the accusing face of my mother. She was sitting on a table, tapping her foot in annoyance and glaring furiously in our direction. Dad was sitting on a beanbag, apparently engrossed in a battered copy of _Five Have a Mystery to Solve_.

Gulping, Jenny and I shot each other a look and sat down carefully on the two brightly coloured plastic seats that had evidently been put out for us to sit on. They were far too small for us and we had to stay very still to avoid breaking them.

"Whatever did you think you were doing?" Mum shouted as soon as we were seated, sliding off the table and folding her arms. From our seated position, she towered over us. "This is one step too far, Evie. You have changed your father's timeline before, but this was too much. The Dalek Crucible? What were you thinking?"

"I didn't know that–" I started.

"And dragging Jenny along with you?" Mum snapped, before rounding on Jenny. "Although you're old enough to know better than to go along with one of your sister's ridiculous ideas? Did you not think that there was a reason Donna's memories were wiped? Did it not occur to you that perhaps that reason was because of something dangerous?"

"We didn't think–" Jenny tried to explain.

Mum shook her head. "No, of course you didn't think. The pair of you just jumped in feet first without even considering the reason your father didn't tell you about that particular even was because it was too painful for him. The Daleks, Evie, Jenny. The DALEKS!"

"Yes, Mum, we know." I said quickly. "We're sorry, but there's no harm–"

"No harm done?" She almost shrieked and I wished I'd kept my mouth shut. "No harm done? Of course there was harm done! Evie, you almost got burned with the TARDIS You got shot by Davros."

"How do you know ab–"

"Your father told me. You as good as introduced yourself to everyone there, Evie."

"Uncle Jack and Auntie Sarah knew who I was anyway. Rose and Jackie are back in the parallel universe and Mickey and Martha will find out who I am soon enough. What does it matter?"

"I don't care if they know who you are, you stupid girl!" Mum shouted. "What do you think would happen if the Daleks realised who you were, either of you? Do you think they'd send your father a congratulations card?"

"You're not scared of Daleks, neither am I." I told her.

Jenny was staying noticeably quiet beside me. She hadn't had as much experience of dealing with Mum when she was angry as I had.

"Evie Song, I cannot believe I'm having to spell this out to you." Mum snapped, moving to stand directly in front of me and fixing me with her fiercest glare. "They are Daleks. They have no fear and they would think nothing of destroying the pair of you to get to your father. You might as well have given them a key to the TARDIS."

"You made a Dalek beg for mercy." I reminded her with a slight smirk.

Choosing to ignore my comment, she turned to glance at Dad, who was still reading. I realised then that he must have been really angry with us. "I hope you're happy. Ever since the new memories fed themselves in he's been in here. He's on the twentieth book in the series. He started at _Five on a Treasure Island_ and made his way through the lot. Before that he read all the _Faraway Tree_ books and the _Wishing Chair_ books."

"He's on an Enid Blyton binge then…" I muttered under my breath.

"It's not a laughing matter, young lady!" Mum shouted. I flinched involuntarily at the fury on her face. "Give me the Vortex Manipulator."

"Why?" I demanded, clutching it to me defensively.

"You are being punished. Now hand it over."

Reluctantly I gave her the wrist strap. "Is that it? Can we go now?"

Mum laughed sarcastically. "You can go alright. The pair of you are going to life with Sylvia. You are going to get jobs and pay rent and help her look after the house and Wilf. For once in your lives you are going to be responsible for something."

"Doesn't Dad get a say in this?" Jenny asked, finding her voice at last.

"This was your father's idea, Jenny." Mum said angrily. "Besides, I'd have thought the pair of you would be happy to go and stay with Donna, seeing as you nearly died to spend time with her before."

"You're just being childish now." I told her, reading jealousy in her tone.

"You need to grow up."

"Fine!" I snapped, standing up and glaring at her. "I'd love to go and stay with Nan and Gramps and Auntie Donna. At least they want me around."

Not even waiting for an answer, or for Jenny to follow me, I stormed out of the library and into my bedroom, pulling a bag out from under my bed and stuffing as much into it as I could.

Ten minutes later Jenny and I were standing side-by-side on the driveway of the Nobles' house, trying to ignore the sound of the TARDIS de-materialising behind us and wondering whether we were about to receive another telling off.

_**A/N: This chapter was inspired by a prompt from **__**Misery Loves Sarah; I am still waiting on the fallout from The End of the Line. Can't wait to see what you come up with next.**_

_**Here it is! :)**_


	143. An Education

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: An Education**

_**A/N: This is a River-perspective Chapter!**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 45

Location: Leadworth, England, Earth

Date: August 2020 AD

* * *

><p>There was a knock on the front door and I sighed. I hadn't long returned from a trip to the Far Empire of Poitun the Great, looking for the lost treasure of Ahman. The last thing I needed now was someone trying to sell me anything or feeling the need to lecture me about religion or politics.<p>

Opening the door and expecting to be faced with some well-meaning do-gooders, I was surprised to see my daughter and granddaughter on the doorstep. Jessica was beaming up at me, while Evie looked somewhat harassed.

"Can you look after Jess for a while?" Evie asked, not waiting for an answer before she thrust a bag into my hands. "It's my day off, but there's a full-scale warning at work so we're all being called in to deal with it."

"Of course." I told her, smiling at Jessica.

Evie bent down and turned her daughter's head so that she was looking into her eyes. "Be good." She told her, almost making it sound like a warning.

"We'll have a great time, won't we, sweetie?" I said, putting an arm around my granddaughter.

Evie didn't look convinced, but she waved and pressed a button on her Vortex Manipulator, vanishing in a split-second. Glancing down, I smiled at Jessica, who was grinning up at me.

"So? What shall we do first?" I asked. If possible, the little girl's smile widened.

"I want to know things." Jessica said. I furrowed my eyebrows, slightly confused. "Mum won't tell me things because she says I'm too young. But you'll tell me, won't you Grandma? You're cooler than Mum."

"Well, that depends what you ask me."

"What do Daleks look like? Mum is rubbish at explaining them."

I followed her into the living room, putting the bag Evie had given me on the armchair and sitting on the sofa. Jessica sat next to me, snuggling close. I stroked her hair and sighed.

"Well… they're made of metal and they're sort of… cone-ish…"

"Can you show me?" Jessica asked eagerly.

I laughed. "Not a chance."

"I meant a picture." She said, sighing slightly and regarding me with a pitying expression.

"Oh." Chuckling, I stood up and retrieved my Diary from the mantelpiece where I'd put it earlier that morning. Flicking through it, I found a sketch of a Dalek and showed it to her. "There…"

"Wow…" She breathed. "And a Cyberman?"

I showed her a picture of the metal men. Then she wanted to see Silurians and Slitheen and Adipose and Weeping Angels and Headless Monks and even the Silence. As I showed her a picture of each species, she studied them carefully, making observations about them.

Jessica proclaimed that the Adipose were cute and that the Slitheen looked cuddly. I was quick to assure her that the last thing she would want to do was cuddle one of the Slitheen. She thought the Weeping Angels looked quite sad, something I had never considered before, and that the Silence had nice suits.

"How do you know about all these species?" I asked her when she had had enough of looking at the pictures.

"Mum tells me. When I can't sleep she tells me stories." Jessica said, wriggling free of my arms and sliding off the sofa. She unzipped her bag and pulled out a very battered looking teddy bear, which she threw to the floor before pulling out a scrapbook. "My favourite is the one about when you and Pops took Mum and Auntie Jenny to the Ice Caverns. Look, I drew pictures."

She opened the scrapbook and showed me her drawings. The first one had the title 'Angels in the Maze'. It was clearly her version of the events following the crash of the Byzantium. I had to stifle a laugh at the little people she'd drawn. Jessica had given Mum a shock of bright orange hair, while my hair was almost florescent yellow and sticking out of my face in corkscrew curls. Evie's hair was a scribble of dark brown; evidently she'd explained about regeneration to her daughter.

"Mum had different hair then." Jessica said with a shrug, almost as though she'd read my mind. "She had a different face too."

"She did." I agreed, nodding.

"She wasn't ginger."

"No."

"She had brown hair, like mine." Jessica informed me, tugging at a strand of her dark hair.

I nodded in agreement, reaching over to smooth it down gently. "She did. You look like she did when she was little."

"Will I be ginger one day?"

I chuckled. "Your grandfather will be very jealous if you are."

"Why? Can't Pops just make himself ginger?" She asked, narrowing her eyes in confusion.

"It's not as simple as that, sweetie." I said simply, not wanting to elaborate. Before she could ask why, I turned the page of her scrapbook. The next page was titled, 'Dalek Crucybell'. Knowing full-well which story had inspired this, I asked anyway. "What's this about then?"

"There were lots of Daleks and they kidnapped the TARDIS. Mum and Auntie Jenny were hiding, 'cos they weren't supposed to be there. Then Uncle Jack and Auntie Sarah and Mickey and Martha were there. And there were two blonde people–"

"Rose and Jackie Tyler." I reminded her.

Jessica nodded fervently, pointing to two blonde stick figures. "And Auntie Donna. Then the Daleks told them to come out, but Mum and Auntie Donna got locked in and the Daleks wanted to burn the TARDIS up. But then there was another Doctor and Auntie Donna got special powers from the Time Hand. She stopped the Daleks and then they all went home. Then you and Pops got angry with Mum and Auntie Jenny and kicked them out."

"It wasn't quite like that…" I muttered, slightly embarrassed at the accusatory stare Jessica was fixing me with.

"Is Auntie Donna a superhero?"

"What makes you think that?" I asked, chuckling again.

Jessica shrugged. "Mum said that the Time Hand gave her special powers. Like a superhero."

Inwardly I wondered at Evie telling Jessica all these stories. She was only six; surely she should be hearing stories about princesses and animals, not Daleks and Weeping Angels. "Well, it's a bit more complicated than that, sweetie. Don't worry your little head about it at the moment. When you're older you'll find out."

"That's what Mum says." Jessica complained.

"You should listen to your Mum." I advised. "She knows what's best for you."

"You're Mum's Mum. Did she listen to you?"

"Most of the time." I lied. "And when she didn't she got into trouble."

"What happened when she got into trouble?" Jessica asked, her eyes lighting up eagerly.

I looked at the clock, looking for an excuse to get out of talking about what Evie had got up to as a child. Jessica didn't need any encouragement to get herself into trouble. "Let's go and see Nana Amy, shall we?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written after a prompt from **__**1945; **__**We need something with Jess and River, if River's babysitting Jess or something.**_

_**:)**_


	144. Experiments

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Experiments**

_**A/N: This is another River-perspective chapter :)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 9

Location: Demon's Run

Date: 5117 AD

* * *

><p><strong>The Doctor and River sprinted through the metal corridors, looking for the door that would lead them to the medical bay. The tracking device in the Doctor's hands pulsed and flashed erratically, sending them further and further into the maze of corridors.<strong>

**Hurling themselves round corners, the pair didn't even register the clerics that tried to stop them, River firing her laser blaster without a second thought. She had turned the setting down from 'kill' to 'incapacitate' at the Doctor's request. They had argued about this, but the Doctor had pointed out that they were just the foot soldiers; their real enemy was hiding behind them, giving out orders.**

* * *

><p>"I can't believe they're still using this old place." I gasped, squeezing the trigger of my gun and sending two clerics slumping to the ground simultaneously.<p>

"That's exactly why they are." The Doctor shot back, darting to the left. "They didn't think we'd think of it."

The tracking device in his hand went crazy, flashing and beeping as we approached a doorway at the end of the long corridor. Pushing past the Doctor, I changed the setting on the gun and fired at the lock. It shattered, sending tiny bits of debris flying in all directions. With a kick, the door swung open and we rushed in.

"Get away from my daughter!" I screamed, lunging at a man who was advancing on Evie.

The man wore a white coat and a mask over his face. Ignoring my warning, he continued towards Evie, sticking a long needle into her arm. Evie screamed, the sound cutting through me and turning my blood to ice in my veins.

With a strangled cry I leapt at the man, striking him several times with the gun, until he stumbled and fell to the ground. Rage clouding my judgement, I shot him with the laser blaster; once, twice, three times.

"River…" The Doctor muttered in a low voice, looking at me seriously.

I glanced at him and nodded. He had already gathered Evie up in his arms and was heading towards the door. Following them, I kept the gun in my hand, although I changed the settings back to 'incapacitate'.

"You alright, kid?" The Doctor asked gently.

Evie nodded bravely. "I'm fine."

As we made our way back through the winding corridors to the TARDIS, I took the opportunity to cause as much damage as I could. I shot several pipes, causing steam to escape with a mighty hiss. Where the steam hit the fuel lines and power cables there were explosions. Fire ripped across the corridors behind us.

We ran, reaching the TARDIS in no time. The Doctor disappeared inside with Evie still safely in his arms. I shot a final look around. Spotting a panel on the wall beside me, I ripped the cover off. Inside it was a jumble of wires. Without hesitation I took out the lighting grid in one fluid movement, plunging Demon's Run into panicked darkness. The only light sources now were the flames that licked at the walls.

x-x

"Evie?" I whispered hoarsely some hours later.

"Mum?" She replied, shuffling around in her bed and blinking at me.

I fell on her in a second, hugging her so tightly that she complained and tried to push me away. I'd persuaded the Doctor to let her recover in her own bedroom. He had hooked up several machines to her, monitoring her vital signs. We still weren't sure what her kidnappers had been trying to achieve, but the Doctor was convinced that they were carrying on where they'd left off with me.

"How are you feeling, sweetie?" I asked gently, putting my hand on her forehead.

She blinked, her eyelids heavy with sleep. "I'm… fine…"

"You need to rest now, Evie."

"What were they doing?" She asked, sitting herself up and stubbornly refusing to rest. "Who were they?"

"They were experimenting on you, trying to find out how their experimental drugs would work on humans." I explained slowly, using the story that the Doctor and I had concocted between us while Evie had slept. "They thought that you were a human child. They didn't realise that you're human plus, let alone that you're human plus Time Lord. The Time Lord part of you is far more dominant than the human part, so your body had the strength to keep fighting against the drugs that they were injecting into your system. Your body was trying to remove the threat. If they had used the results of their experiments on you as normal for humans, it would have led to genocide; the destruction of the human race."

"So… as far as they knew I could have been anyone?" Evie asked sleepily. "They weren't looking for me specifically?"

I shook my head, helping her shuffle down the bed and stroking her hair. "No. They just picked the wrong child."

"Are you lying to make me feel better?" Evie asked, making me jump slightly.

"Of course not, sweetie." I lied instantly, kissing her forehead.

"Good, 'cos I can tell." She muttered, closing her eyes and sighing. "Don't blame Gran and Gramps. It wasn't their fault."

I knew that it wasn't my parents fault that Evie had been taken. It was just a case of bad timing. As she fell asleep again, I gently stood up and made my way back to the console room, in search of the Doctor. He was staring at the scanner with furrowed eyebrows. As I approached he glanced at me.

"What have you found?" I asked, reaching his side.

He put an arm around my waist as I leant against him, looking at the screen as well. "That's just it… there's nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing." He nodded. "It's as though this was a decoy… to attract our attention."

I gulped. "She's not… a ganger?"

"No." The Doctor shook his head. "I checked. The only thing I can think of is that Evie's much stronger than we thought."

"In what way?"

"She's already counteracted whatever they injected into her. Her body has already destroyed all traces of whatever drug they used and compensated to heal her completely."

"Is that possible?" I asked, confused.

The Doctor shrugged. "I don't know. But it would appear that it is."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written in response to three prompts one from **__**NaviRebel16; is a little more mother daughter time between Evie and River (maybe lil Evie?), one from **__**thisismyfantasyland**__**; **__**a few chapters about River and Evie when she was a kid? and the third from lilangryprincess; a chapter about Evie being kidnapped (from chapter 117?).**_

_**So this is it! :)**_

_**Also, **__**Misery Loves Sarah made a very good point about the last chapter; '**__**I have only one little nit-picky thing about the images of the weeping angels that River had..."That which holds the image of an Angel becomes itself an Angel".' Obviously, that's very true. **_

_**The Angels I imagined Jessica drawing were like the ones my 7-year-old cousin drew that looked so unlike Weeping Angels that I genuinely thought he was drawing dinosaurs! Needless to say he wasn't impressed with me, but I think that would get around the 'becomes itself an Angel' part! :)**_

_**THIRDLY, if you enjoyed this chapter, please consider reading '**Connection**' by nicoleniks94. At some point in time there may or may not be some kind of crossover between Evie and her character, Mona :)**_


	145. Sacrifice

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Sacrifice**

Age: 142

Location: Nestor 8, Pelfrax Galaxy

Date: 917.87/9

* * *

><p>"Jack?" I called as loudly as I dared.<p>

The rocky ground around me seemed to throw my voice back at me, almost mockingly. Keeping low to the ground I crept forward looking left and right for any sign of my godfather. He, Jenny and I had travelled to the Eston Plains of Nestor 8 in search of a Tristeen called Omlox who had caused chaos in Cardiff, before using a spatial shift to escape. Jack had decided that we should come after him and return him to Earth to face justice from the Judoon.

As soon as we'd arrived we'd been split up. Following Omlox's trail had led us to the rocky higher land, where we'd quickly lost sight and sound of each other. It was almost as though the landscape was being deliberately difficult, throwing sound around so that it was impossible to tell where it was coming from.

"Jenny?" I tried again, looking around for my sister.

Over to my left there was a flash of blue, almost as though someone was moving very quickly between the rocks. At once I made my way towards it, my gun raised and ready for use. Darting between rocks, I scrambled over to where I'd seen the movement.

There was nothing behind the first rock. Holding my gun out in front of me, I leapt out from behind it, aiming at the figure who was looking in the opposite direction. A young man turned around and gave a squeak of surprise and fear as he took in the gun pointed in his face.

"Who are you?" I demanded.

"Yip of Jexpool." He said in a small voice. "I was gathering herbs."

Slowly I lowered my gun. "You might want to head home, Yip of Jexpool." I suggested, looking around quickly. "Have you seen a Tristeen around here? About four feet high, blue skin, big square head?"

Yip shook his head firmly and blinked at me again. I sighed and smiled weakly. He scurried away nervously, obviously eager to get home. The people of the Eston Plains were notoriously nervous and scared of anything out of the ordinary. I hoped Yip got home without bumping into Omlox. He seemed like a nice kid.

Sighing deeply I continued my search through the rocky landscape. It was the middle of the day. By Earth standards the temperature was akin to somewhere along the Equator at the height of the summer, but I knew that this was their equivalent of spring. Luckily Jack had warned us of the extreme temperatures and we'd been able to dress for the occasion. Even in short shorts and a vest I was sweltering. The holster at my hip was sticking to my leg with sweat and I'd piled my hair on top of my head, although I could see several ginger tendrils escaping around my face and neck as I turned my head to look around.

It felt as though I was trying to find my way through the rocks for hours. By the time I reached the summit of the boulder strewn landscape I was ready to lie down and have a nap. Breathing deeply I put my hands on my hips, staring around. Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted something moving from behind a boulder and whirled around, my gun raised.

"Chill out, Evs!" Jenny laughed, hauling herself up onto the rock, before dusting the dirt off her knees. "I'm guessing you've had no luck either?"

I shook my head. "Only living thing I've seen is Yip of Jexpool."

"An Eston?" Jenny asked and I nodded. "I met a couple of them; Paisey and Knol of Rhispar. They're so jumpy, aren't they?"

Before I could answer, we both spotted movement from the left and in an instant we were both pointing our guns at the small gap between two rocks. Slowly, Jack's head appeared in the gap. There was a cut on his forehead, a small trickle of blood running down his cheek.

"JACK?" We shouted in unison, rushing forward to help him up onto the ridge.

He batted us away. "Thanks ladies, but I'll survive."

"Did you find Omlox?" I asked, peering over the edge of the rock Jack had just crawled through.

"I did. He really doesn't want to be captured." Jack chuckled, coughing as the laugh caught in his throat.

"Where is he now?" Jenny demanded.

"He headed up this way."

"Stay there, Jack." I commanded, raising my gun and nodding to Jenny.

He chuckled again, already sounding stronger. "Forget it, titch."

Rolling my eyes I led the way along the ridge towards the wooded area. After a couple of steps, Jack pushed past me, sending me a look and causing me to roll my eyes again. We went cautiously, taking cover behind the tall, straight, almost branchless trees that flanked the path. Jenny was close behind me and I could hear twigs cracking and leaves crunching beneath her feet.

Suddenly there was a gasp from behind me and I whirled around. Omlox had Jenny by the throat, her own gun pointed at her head. I instinctively took a step forwards, but his grip on her tightened and I stopped.

"Gun down, Miss Song." He commanded in his grating voice with a wide smile. "And you, Captain Harkness."

I glanced at Jack, who nodded and placed his handgun on the ground by his feet, before kicking it towards the Tristeen. Reluctantly I did the same. As soon as we were unarmed, Omlox pushed Jenny towards me. I held her tightly and did a quick check for injuries, until she pushed me away with a small smile.

"Give it up, Omlox." Jack called from beside me. "The Judoon are looking for you as we speak."

"Three more deaths won't hurt, will they?" The Tristeen rasped, his smile widening even further. It almost seemed to split his face in half. "Although, you can't die, can you, Captain Harkness?"

Before any of them could answer, Omlox shot Jack, the bullet hitting him in the forehead. Jack slumped to the ground, his eyes open and lifeless. I stood my ground, knowing that my godfather would be back before long.

"Omlox… think about this." I said calmly, taking a step forward. He watched me curiously as I circled round behind him. "You don't need to kill us. You have the guns, what are we going to do?"

As he turned briefly towards Jenny, I widened my eyes at her, glancing down at the guns on the ground. Omlox turned back to face me, catching the direction of my gaze. His face screwed up in anger and he turned, raising the gun and squeezing the trigger.

"No!" I screamed, launching myself at him and grabbing his arm.

The bullet whistled harmlessly off between the trees. Omlox's face contorted in an expression of complete fury and he squeezed the trigger again. This time the shot was not aimed harmlessly away.

I gasped as the bullet ripped into my stomach. I barely registered Jack and Jenny both leaping on the Tristeen before I blacked out.

x-x

"Do you have some kind of hero complex or something?" Jack demanded the moment I regained consciousness.

I blinked up at him for a moment before turning my head to take in my surroudings. I was back in the Torchwood Hub, lying on the sofa beside the lift.

"What happened?"

"You chucked yourself at Omlox's gun." Jack said with a grin. "Killed you."

"What's the damage?" I asked with a sigh, propping myself up on my elbows and raising an eyebrow at him.

"Stand up…" He commanded, holding out his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet before looking me up and down. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

Laughing, I swatted at his arm and went to look in the mirror. My hair was no longer ginger, but a very dark brown. It fell in loose waves around my shoulders and ended halfway down my upper arms. My eyes were back to blue, rather than green. I also seemed to have shrunk.

"Not bad." I echoed.

"So?" Jack asked, leaning against the railings beside me and raising an eyebrow. "Do you have a hero complex?"

"We don't know if Jen can regenerate, we know I can. There was no option really." I said with a shrug. "She's my sister."

"The tests we've done indicate that Jenny can regenerate." Jack told me, glancing towards his step-daughter and nodding. "We compared her DNA with Donna's and the Doctor's. The parts that are the same as Donna's correlate with the slower ageing genes and extended lifespan, while the other bits are the same as yours and the Doctor's. Jenny can definitely regenerate."

I stared at him for a minute. "Well I wish you'd told me that before."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written after a prompt from Kamy-chan; I want to know more about future Evie! **_

_**This is very future Evie! :) **_

_**Also, we haven't seen Jenny for a while, so I thought she should pop in for an adventure!**_


	146. The Benefits of Pastels vs Brights

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Benefits of Pastels vs. Bright Colours**

Age: 24

Location: The TARDIS

Date: -

* * *

><p>"<strong>So, Amy Pond, where to next?" The Doctor asked, leaning against the console with his arms folded. He smiled at his new companion, still so full of excitement and awe, even for the inside of his bigger-on-the-inside police box.<strong>

"**Anywhere!" She exclaimed with a broad grin. "Everywhere!"**

**The Doctor laughed and moved to the controls. There was a jolt and he pulled the scanner screen to him in confusion. "Looks like we've got incoming."**

* * *

><p>"You look older." Amy said, almost as though she was accusing me of something.<p>

"I am older, sweetie!" I told her with a grin. "The last time you saw me I was… what… Twenty?"

"Ninteen." Amy said, taking a sip of her tea.

I shrugged and took a gulp of my own drink. "Five years sure does go quickly."

"Five years? It's been five years since you last saw me?"

"No. It's been five years since you last saw me." I reworded her question with a smirk. "It's been two days since I last saw you. When did you last see me? From your perspective, I mean?"

"About three weeks. Maybe a month."

"What have you been up to?"

"We went to this spaceship. Spaceship UK it was called. There was some stuff going on, but there was a Star Whale and it was carrying them on its back!" Amy gushed enthusiastically. I listened, smiling fondly. There really wasn't much difference between this young woman and the one I'd grown up calling Gran. "Then the Doctor took me shopping on Shan Shen." A ripple of an emotion somewhere between sadness and nostalgia ran through me as I recognised the name from Donna's stories. I hadn't visited the planet yet, I was reluctant to go there for some reason. "And then we went to WW2 and met Winston Churchill and Daleks! Have you ever seen Daleks? They're… amazing! Terrifying, but amazing."

I laughed. "I have met Daleks. I wouldn't exactly call them amazing."

"Oh! And then we went to the Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade." Amy said, barely noticing my interruption. "Talk about mental! One minute it's baking hot, the next it's snowing! It's worse than a British summer!"

I laughed. "Tell me about about it! When I was there I got sunburn and then frostbite within ten minutes!"

"What when you were in Britain?"

"No, idiot! When I was on the Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade!"

"Oh, right!" Amy joined in with my laughter.

"So, what are you two planning next? A trip to the outer quadrant of the Destheen galaxy? A visit to the Ice Veranda of Paal?"

"That sounds exciting! And the Doctor has promised me another planet next."

"Get him to take you to Cotter Palluni's World." I told Amy. "He took me there once… or he will do, anyway… and it was magical. The lightening is just… no, you have to see it for yourself. Make him promise to take you."

"Why don't you come with us?" Amy suggested.

I shook my head. "Nah… it was kinda special when we went. I wanna keep that memory for a while."

"Special?" Amy asked, raising an eyebrow.

I burst out laughing. "Not like that! That's really weird!"

"What's really weird?" Dad asked, coming into the kitchen.

"You." Amy and I said in unison, before bursting out laughing again.

"Come on." Amy said, standing up. "I'll show you what the TARDIS did to my room."

I followed her out of the kitchen, grinning at the Doctor as we went. All along the corridor to her bedroom Amy chattered about this and that; most of the time I found myself tuning out and remembering my own adventures. When we reached her bedroom I listened to her happy chatter about the renovations that TARDIS had made for her; extending the bathroom so that she had a proper Jacuzzi bath, putting in a fake window that gave her the same view as she'd had out of her bedroom window in Leadworth and mimicking the view of a nights' sky on her ceiling when she was in bed, amongst other things.

"It's lovely." I told her sincerely, picking up a photo frame on her dressing table. "Do you miss Rory?"

"I don't have time to." Amy said, unconvincingly, taking the frame out of my hands and looking at it for a moment before putting it down.

"Have you explored the TARDIS properly, yet?" I asked, changing the subject quickly.

"A bit."

"Come on!" I urged.

Amy grinned and followed me out of the room. We headed along the corridor until we came to a door that was unmarked. Pushing it open, we found ourselves in a curious room. Every inch of the walls were covered in glass-fronted cabinets containing rows on rows of small bottles. Closer inspection showed us that they were rows on rows of nail varnishes of every colour imaginable.

There was a cabinet of varying shades of red, another of varying shades of blue, another of varying shades of green and so on. Squealing in delight, Amy began looking around happily, picking out bottles and setting them down on the table in the middle of the room. It was like a beautician's station, with a stool, a mirror and a little light so it was easier to see what you were doing.

I opened a cabinet filled with glittery nail varnishes, choosing a bright emerald green bottle and making my way over to the station in the centre of the room. I sat on the stool opposite Amy and looked at the colours she had chosen.

"They're all pastels." I pointed out unnecessarily.

"I like pastel nail varnishes." Amy shrugged. "They look nice."

"Bright colours are better. They stand out and make an impact."

"They're in your face. Pastels are subtle."

I shrugged. "I guess we'll have to agree to disagree."

"Deal." Amy agreed with a grin. "I sort of wish we'd never found this room."

"Why?" I asked, concentrating on what I was doing.

"Because I'm going to spend all my time in here now, painting my nails all the different colours under the sun."

Laughing, I wafted my left hand around, trying to try the varnish before attempting to do my right hand. Amy did the same. We glanced at each other and burst into a fresh wave of laughter. We looked so ridiculous.

No sooner had we finished painting our nails than there was a knock on the door and the Doctor poked his head around the door. His eyes widened as he took in all the cabinets and Amy and I exchanged a grin.

"I was just wondering… I fancy visiting the Delirium Archive." The Doctor said. "Can we?"

"I dunno what that is, but it sounds exciting." I said with a grin. "I'm in!"

The Doctor beamed and hurried away to set the coordinates. By the time Amy and I had made our way back to the console room we had landed. The second we stepped out of the TARDIS, Amy jabbed me in the ribs. We seemed to be in some kind of church.

"This is not exciting." Amy hissed as the Doctor bounded away. "You said it would be exciting."

"No, I said it sounded exciting." I clarified. "Apparently I jumped to conclusions. It sounded exciting, but actually isn't… like extreme ironing or yodelling."

Amy shot me a confused look, but there was no time to go into details, as the Doctor started commenting on the exhibitions, rushing between them like a child in a toy shop.

"_Wrong, wrong… bit right… mostly wrong!_" The Doctor announced, marching through the exhibits. I exchanged a look with Amy as we trailed after him. "I love museums!"

"_Yeah, great, can we go to a planet now?_" Amy asked. "_Big spaceship, Churchill's bunker… you promised me a planet next._"

"I took you to Shan Shen and the Fifteenth Broken Moon of the Medusa Cascade. They're planets." The Doctor pointed out, whirling away. "Besides, _Amy,_ _this isn't any old asteroid; it's the Delirium Archive; the final resting place of the Headless Monks – the biggest museum ever._"

"_You've got a time machine, what d'you need museums for?_"

"_Wrong!_" He shouted, pointing at something in the glass case in front of him.

I jumped and looked up from examining the Woplon Dagger in front of me. Mum would have a field day in this place, I decided. Although I doubted they'd have half as many exhibits when she left.

"_Very wrong!_" He continued. "_Ooh! One of mine! Also one of mine…_"

"_Oh, I see._" Amy said in amusement as I jogged to catch up with them. "_It's how you keep score._"

The Doctor went quiet, leaning on the glass cabinet in front of him and staring at something inside it. I moved to his side and realised that there was a single exhibit in the case. It was a box shape, with a cylinder cut out of the middle. On the top, writing was engraved into it. If I wasn't very much mistaken it was Old High Gallifreyan.

"_Oh great, an old box._" Amy sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Is that a–" I started.

"I think so."

"And is that writing–"

"Yep."

"Right."

"What?" Amy asked, looking between us.

"_It's from one of the old Starliners._" The Doctor explained quickly. "_A home box._"

"_What's a home box?_"

"_Like a black box on a plane, except it homes. Anything happens to the ship, the home box flies home with all the flight data._"

"_So?_"

"_The writing… the graffiti… Old High Gallifreyan… the lost language of the Time Lords._" He said, almost excitedly. "_There were days… there were many days… these words could burn stars and raise up empires and topple gods._"

His words sent shivers down my spine and I realised that I was grinning.

"_What does this say?_" Amy asked, not seeming nearly as impressed.

"_Hello sweetie._" The Doctor admitted, sighing. I couldn't help a snort of laughter escaping at his words. There was no doubt in my mind who had written that. "Come on!"

The Doctor opened the case with his sonic screwdriver, grabbed the home box and started running towards the TARDIS. Amy and I followed as alarms started blaring and guards appeared as though from nowhere. We skidded into the police box and slammed the doors, the Doctor darting up the steps and setting the box down to send us into the Vortex.

"_Why are we doing this?_" Amy asked as the Doctor connected the home box to the scanner screen. I handed him an extension cable and he connected it to the box.

"'_Cos someone on a spaceship 12,000 years ago is trying to attract my attention._" He twisted the cable, trying to get a better signal. While he did that, I retuned the screen, getting the optimum resolution. "_Let's see if we can get the security playback working…_"

As soon as he pulled the lever beneath the screen, the fuzziness dissolved and the footage came into focus. Mum was standing in a corridor, a tiny gun in her hand, wearing sunglasses. I raised an eyebrow as I watched her lower the glasses and wink into the camera, before turning and stalking away.

The Doctor twisted the cable and the footage jumped. Now Mum was standing in front of a large, circular metal door. I was standing beside her, wearing what looked like a 1920's style dress. Suddenly I remembered what was going on.

While the Doctor and Amy were fully engrossed in the security footage, I took my cue to leave, imputing the coordinates for home and sending myself whirling away through the Vortex.

* * *

><p>"<strong>Hang on, Doctor." Amy called as the Doctor rushed towards the TARDIS doors, flinging them open. "Where did Evie go?"<strong>

**There was no time for the Doctor to answer, let alone look around to see what she meant, before River barrelled into him, knocking him to the floor.**

"**Doctor?" Amy asked, folding her arms and staring down at the pair of them. **

"**Amy!" Evie exclaimed, jumping to her feet and rubbing her elbow.**

"**Evie?" Amy gasped, wide-eyed, staring at the young woman in front of her. "But you were just…"**

"**River?" The Doctor murmured questioningly, blinking at the woman who was still sprawled on top of him.**

**River leapt to her feet, peering through the still open doors at the ship that was speeding away. "Follow that ship!"**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: So, this chapter started off after a conversation between me and my friend Hannah about the fact that Amy seems to have different coloured nails (almost always pastel colours) in every episode. We even had nail varnish watch, with whoever spotted the colour first being the winner.**_

_**So that's how it started, then it kinda got away from me and led into '**__Angels, Soldiers, Criminals__**'! Hope you like it, anyway! :)**_


	147. Memories

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Memories**

Age: 26

Location: Chiswick, London, Earth

Date: 2014/1964 AD

* * *

><p>"Gramps?" I shouted, letting myself into the Nobles' house with the key I'd owned since I was fourteen. Usually I would have rung the doorbell and waited, but for some reason Wilf wasn't coming to the door, even though I could see him through the living room window. "Gramps? Are you alright?"<p>

"Hmm? What?" Wilf looked up and blinked several times. "Oh, sorry… did you ring the doorbell, love?"

I nodded and perched on the arm of the chair he was sitting in. "Yeah… I thought I'd pop in and visit. Dad needed to see Jack and they said he was at home, so we're here for a while."

"He parked on our drive, did he?"

"Mmmhmm…" I looked at the box on his lap. "What's all this stuff?"

"My memories."

"Your memories?" I asked, pulling a photograph out of the box and examining it. "Who's this?"

Wilf took the photo out of my hands and looked at it, smiling fondly. "This, my girl, is your great-grandmother, Eileen Mott." He informed me, handing the photo back. Gramps often forgot that I wasn't actually his great-granddaughter. Either that or he chose not to remember. "Eileen Thompson, she was. She had beautiful red hair, like our Donna."

"She's really pretty, Gramps."

Reaching into the box, I pulled out a handful of photographs, looking at them and smiling. I leant into Wilf, holding the pictures where Gramps could see them. He chuckled and talked about each of the photos in turn, telling me about the people and places captured in them.

"I didn't know Nan had a brother." I said, taking a closer look at a small square photograph of a small girl and an even smaller boy standing on a beach.

"James." Gramps said with a sad smile. "Died of scarlet fever when he was seven."

"I'm sorry, Gramps." I murmured softly, squeezing his shoulder and dropping a kiss on the top of his head.

"Not your fault, sweetheart." He pointed out. "You weren't there."

I nodded and went quiet as he pointed to a photograph of a slightly moody, teenage-looking Sylvia and started chuckling. As he launched into the story behind the picture, I wondered about what he had just said, 'you weren't there'.

"How do you fancy a trip in the TARDIS?" I asked casually.

"What?"

"A trip in the TARDIS." I repeated. "It might cheer you up a bit."

"Won't the Doctor mind?"

I shrugged and grinned. "We'll be back before he realises we've gone!"

"And… Sylvia?"

I laughed and stood up, taking Wilf by the hand and tugging him towards the door. "Ditto!"

Before he could react we were at the front door. I opened it and ushered him outside to where the TARDIS stood on their driveway. As he always did, Wilf laid a hand reverently on the wooden box, almost stroking it. He gave the door a final, appreciative pat before following me inside.

"Will I need a coat?" Gramps asked.

I laughed and didn't answer, moving around the console, my fingers dancing over the dials and levers. While I sent us whirling around into the Vortex, Wilf looked around interestedly. He had been in the TARDIS before, but that had been in Dad's last incarnation. The console room had changed a lot since then.

"That depends on where you want to go, Gramps!" I told him, leaning against the console and smiling, my arms folded over my chest.

"We're going straight home!" A shrill voice from near the doors called.

Gramps and I looked at each other, before turning to blink at Sylvia, who was standing with her arms folded glaring at us. She advanced slowly and I moved so that I was standing next to Wilf, who looked equally wary as his daughter walked up the steps and stopped in front of us.

"Sylvia, love, we were just… Evie thought a little trip might do me good." Wilf said, smiling at his daughter weakly. "I didn't expect you home until later."

"Well that's obvious."

"Anywhere you fancy going, Nan?" I asked brightly.

"Home." She snapped. "Donna's coming round for her tea with Zoe and I've got a Shepherd's Pie to make."

I shrugged. "I can take you back to this morning if you want me to."

"No, thank you, Evie."

"So where d'you want to go? Anywhere… future… past?"

Gramps looked at me, realisation dawning on his face. "We can't… can we?"

"If we're careful." I told him seriously.

"We can't what?" Nan snapped.

I grinned and glanced at Gramps. "Date? Place?"

"Southend, August bank holiday, 1964."

"Dad? What are you–?" Nan started.

Before she could finish her question, I pulled and twisted levers and dials, sending us travelling through time and space towards the destination Wilf had stipulated. Sylvia glared between us, as though trying to decide which of us was more to blame for this situation. As I danced past Gramps, I grinned at him and winked.

"Et viola!" I announced, pulling down the landing lever with a flourish. "August 3, 1864. Southend-on-Sea."

"Really?" I had expected the voice to belong to Gramps, but it was Nan who was blinking at me. I nodded. "The last holiday we went on before… before…"

"Before your brother died." Wilf agreed sadly. "You were fourteen and James was six."

They looked at each other for a moment and I watched them in silence. Wilf held out his hand to his daughter and Sylvia took it. Together they made their way down the steps and towards the TARDIS doors. I didn't move, knowing that this was a moment that didn't involve me. They disappeared out into the bright sunshine and I turned back to the console.

There were plenty of things for me to get on with inside the TARDIS while they relieved their memories. When they were ready I would take them home in time for Shepherd's Pie with Donna and Zoe.


	148. A Final Goodbye 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

Age: 57

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: December 25th 2009

* * *

><p>"Jess!" I exclaimed for about the fifth time in as many minutes. "Stop mithering me!"<p>

"But you promised, Mum!" She whined, resting her elbows on the kitchen table and leaning eagerly towards me. Opposite her, I did my best to avoid her eyes, sticking resolutely to reading the magazine in front of me. "You promised that when I was eighteen you would tell me who my father was."

"I didn't find out until I was 20 and that was–"

"An accident, yes I know." My daughter sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You look just like–"

"My grandmother. I know!" Jessica interrupted me again. I smirked. "Mum! Just tell me, alright? I don't care about getting to know him or anything. So don't worry if he's not exactly the paternal type. I just want to know who he is."

I sighed and looked at her. "Jess… it's not as simple as that."

"Why? Can't you just give me a name?"

"I would if I knew his name."

Jessica looked incredulous. "You don't even know my father's name?"

I hesitated. "He was a Time Lord. I didn't know his real name."

"What, like the Doctor isn't Pops' real name?"

"Exactly."

"So what was my Dad's Time Lord name?" Jessica demanded.

"The Master." I told her reluctantly. I could tell that she wasn't going to give up until she found out, one way or another. It was better that she found out from me. "He was called Harold Saxon when I met him. I was undercover for Torchwood and it went a bit… wrong."

"You fell for the enemy?"

"In a manner of speaking." I agreed with a sigh.

"But he's a Time Lord? Surely he can't be that bad?"

"Can we leave it now please, Jessica." I said sharply, standing up and picking up both mugs from the table. Moving to the sink so that she wouldn't be able to see my face, I turned on the tap to rinse them out, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath as I did so.

"What happened?" She asked softly, standing at my side. I jumped, not realising that she had moved. "Mum?"

"I loved your father, Jess, I really did. I loved him so much that it physically hurt. But he was… evil." I told her slowly, moving to the table and sitting down heavily in a chair. Jessica sat beside me, holding my hand and listening eagerly. The whole story came pouring out; from shooting Tom in the Torchwood Hub, to Jack vanishing, to going undercover in Harold Saxon's Government, to watching the Master destroying the Earth and everyone I loved.

"So he died? He refused to regenerate when you shot him?" Jessica asked when I'd told her the whole story.

There was a split second's hesitation before I answered. "Yes."

"You're lying." Jessica said at once. "I know you are, Mum. Tell me!"

"No, Jessica. He's dead and gone and that's the end of it." I told her firmly, pulling my hand free of hers and standing up. "Come on, we need to go to Donna's."

"I'll ask Auntie Donna then." Jessica snapped. "Or Auntie Jenny… or Uncle Jack. He'll definitely tell me."

I laughed and shook my head. "Jack won't tell you anything. He let your Grandmother kill him ten times over because he preferred to let her think that he was your father than let her find out the truth."

"What?"

"Your Grandparents thought Jack was your father until you were born, Jessica. That is how far I went to keep you safe, alright?" I shouted, feeling tears welling up in my eyes. I turned away, muttering under my breath. "Fat lot of bloody good it did me…"

Jessica grabbed my arm, wrenching me round. She looked furious. "Mum! Tell me the bloody truth! Is my father dead?"

"Yes!"

"Did you kill him?"

"Yes!" I screamed. "I shot him and he died."

"But?"

"They brought him back, alright?" I told her before I could stop myself. Jessica let go of my arm abruptly, her eyes wide. I sighed, closed my eyes for a moment and then carried on. "I was kidnapped just before I was due to have you… I don't remember it at all. They ripped you out of me and left me to die. Your grandparents found me just before I regenerated and they tracked you down."

"Why?"

"They wanted to use your DNA to bring the Master back."

"Did they succeed?" Jessica asked.

I stared at her in surprise. "I… yes."

"What happened?"

"I've told you enough, Jessica." I said abruptly.

"You might as well tell me everything now." She reasoned. "Please. I won't do anything stupid."

"Are you sure about that?" I asked. She nodded. Against my better judgement I decided that she deserved the truth. "He came back and found a way to bring Gallifrey back as well."

"Gallifrey? But that's…"

"Long gone, yes. Rassilion wanted to take down every other species in the Universe. Your Pops and Grandad Wilf had to stop him. Your father died. But it also meant that Pops had to regenerate. He… he loved being that version of himself. I don't think he's ever completely forgiven me for taking it away from him."

"You?" Jessica asked in surprise.

I nodded. "It was my fault, wasn't it? It was because of me the Master came back and he had to stop Rassilion."

"It was my DNA… it's my fault…" Jessica said slowly.

"No." I grabbed her upper arms and forced her to look at me, my eyes fierce. "No, it wasn't your fault. None of this was your fault, Jess, believe me. I was the one who let them take you away. Don't ever, ever blame yourself."

"But how…?"

"How what?"

"How did it happen?"

"Christmas Day 2009… there was–" I started with a sigh.

Before I knew what was happening, Jessica had grabbed the Vortex Manipulator, pressed a couple of buttons and sent us into the Vortex. I didn't have time to react before we were standing on a familiar pavement in front of a familiar blue police box.

"What are you doing?" I demanded in a low hiss as Jessica opened the TARDIS doors and went inside.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I am slowly working my way through the prompts you lovely people have sent me! These chapters were written for a prompt from TheGirlWithTheOnyxRose; Could you do the end of time with Evie and Jessica? I'd like to see how that plays out...**_

_**So here they are! :)**_


	149. A Final Goodbye 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

"Jessica Melody Song!" I hissed, following her into the TARDIS. "Come back this instant!"

"There's no one here, Mum. It's fine." She assured me with a grin. "Wow, it looks really different in here. Hello, old girl."

I watched helplessly as Jessica trailed her hand over the console, looking around excitedly. For a brief moment I allowed myself to relax, smiling around fondly at the old console room. Then I snapped out of it, remembering where we were and what was happening.

"How are you going to explain that we're in here?" I demanded angrily. "The Doctor's suspicious at the best of times. We can't just be here!"

Jessica shrugged. "So we'll tell him who we are."

"What?" I shook my head and strode towards her. "Are you out of your mind?"

"What's the worst that could happen?"

"What's the… what's the worst that could happen?"

"Yeah, I mean, what's Pops actually going to do?"

"Jess!" I grabbed her shoulders, as though I could shake some sense into her. "It could stop either of us being born! If Dad realises who we are, he's stubborn enough to avoid Mum altogether."

"He wouldn't do that." Jessica said confidently.

I arched an eyebrow. "Are you willing to stake your life on it?"

"Fine then." She changed tack at the speed of light. "So we'll tell him half the truth. Tell him that you're a Time Agent and I'm the Master's daughter."

Laughing, I shook my head. "You're crazy. This is crazy. Come on! We need to get out of here before he comes back."

"Live a little, mother!"

"Live… live a little?" I almost screamed. "Jessica… the eighteen-year-old me is in that house now, spending Christmas day with Donna and Nan, while Gramps and Dad deal with this situation. A situation that I caused. Do you not see how this is a terrible, terrible idea?"

"Not really, no." She shrugged. "You've regenerated twice since then, it's not like Pops or Gramps will recognise you, is it?"

"That's not the point!"

"So, what is your point?"

I covered my face with my hands for a moment, before looking back at Jessica sharply. "How are we going to explain away the fact that we are standing inside the TARDIS? The TARDIS that was locked but, more importantly, is fitted with a perception filter."

"We just won't be here when he comes back." Jessica said with a shrug. I wanted to believe that I had won the argument and she was agreeing to leave, but I knew better than that. "We'll find another way in."

"What do you mean?" I sighed.

Jess reached out and grabbed my arm, fiddling with the Vortex Manipulator, before pressing the button and sending us back through the Vortex. Seconds later we materialised just meters from where we'd arrived not long ago.

Swearing under my breath, I grabbed Jessica around the waist and pulled her out of sight as the other versions of ourselves materialised on the pavement. We watched as the other Jessica sprinted towards the TARDIS, pushing opened the door and vanishing inside. The other Evie raised her hands exasperatedly, just as I had done, swore and followed her daughter into the police box.

"Now what?" I asked, folding my arms.

"We go and visit Gramps."

My mouth dropped open. "What?"

"We'll go and see Gramps." Jessica repeated with a grin. "We'll use the Time Agent story on him. You know how trusting Gramps is. When we've convinced him, the Doctor will be a pushover."

"No!" I snapped, shaking my head. "No way. We are not dragging Gramps into this. Besides, what are you planning to do? Are you just going to knock on the door and ask whether he's seen the Doctor lately 'cos you've mislaid your Daddy?"

Jessica glared at me. "Exactly."

I stared at her open-mouthed. I was so shocked that I didn't even register that she was stalking towards the Nobles' front door until she reached it and rang the bell. Cursing all the gods of all the planets in the Universe, I sprinted towards her, hoping to be able to grab her and dematerialise before the door opened.

Luck was not on my side, however, as the door opened and Nan looked down at us. There wasn't the slightest hint of recognition in her eyes as she surveyed us. Although I had been expecting this, it still upset me a little.

"Can I help you?" She asked stiffly, looking us up and down.

"Hello." Jessica smiled warmly at her. "My name is Jessica Miller. This is my mother, Olivia."

I shot her a bemused look, wondering how she'd remembered the name I'd used on that particular Torchwood operation. "Hi…"

"So?" Nan snapped. "It's Christmas Day!"

"Yes, we're very sorry to bother you, Mrs Noble, but we were wondering whether your father was in." Jessica continued smoothly, not affected at all by Nan's scowl. Neither was she affected by the look of intense confusion that replaced it.

"How do you know who I am?"

Realising that there was no way back, I stepped forward and pulled out the psychic credit card I'd conned Dad into giving me when I was a teenager. "I'm an operative of the Time Agency, Mrs Noble."

"Management, is it?" Nan asked with a sniff, as though she thought she deserved high-ranking visitors.

"It would seem so." I agreed with a weak smile.

"May we come in?" Jessica pressed.

Looking between us, Nan obviously decided that she didn't have much choice and nodded. She moved aside to let us pass and Jessica went confidently down the hallway to the kitchen. I followed more slowly, mental arguing with myself. I could feel the presence of my younger self in the building and every instinct in my body was screaming at me to leave. As long as I didn't make contact with myself it would be alright, I reminded myself nervously.

"Mr Mott?" Jessica was asking as I walked into the kitchen. I looked around. It was exactly the same as I remembered it all those years ago and also two days ago when we'd popped in to have tea with Nan and Gramps after work.

There were three other people in the kitchen; Gramps was nowhere to be seen. I recognised the man standing with Donna and the younger version of myself instantly; Shawn Temple, Donna's then boyfriend. She'd finished with him a couple of weeks after New Year, not wanting the guilt of dumping him during the festive season.

"Who's this?" Donna asked bluntly, looking between the pair of us and her mother.

The younger me looked intently between us as well. As I stood there, new memories formed themselves in my mind, adding this meeting into my head. It was a strange sensation, as though mist was gathering in my brain, before slowly clearing to reveal a new picture.

"My name is Jessica Miller. This is my mother, Olivia. She's part of the Time Agency and we're here to ask you a few questions about the Doctor."


	150. A Final Goodbye 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

"The… The Doctor?" Donna demanded, putting the martini glass she'd been clutching down on the kitchen table.

"Yes, the Doctor." Jessica nodded, smiling around.

Silence descended. Everyone in the room looked as though they'd been caught doing something they shouldn't, apart from Jessica, who looked very pleased with herself. The younger me had narrowed her eyes and was staring suspiciously between Jessica and me, as though trying to work something out.

"You're from the Time Agency?" She asked after a couple of minutes. I nodded. "That would explain the Vortex Manipulator."

She pointed to my wrist and I raised it, displaying the device. "Standard issue, twelfth version."

"What do you want with the Doctor?" Donna demanded, folding her arms.

"I need to ask him about my father."

Donna narrowed her eyes. "Your father?"

"Yes." Jessica nodded. "He was… is… a Time Lord, too."

"But… that's not possible." Donna exclaimed, looking at younger me, who looked confused. "The Doctor's the last."

"He thought he was." I found myself saying in a small voice. "But he wasn't…"

Before anyone else could speak, Nan darted towards the French doors and out into the garden. Donna and younger me exchanged a glance before following her outside. Before I could move, Jessica was on their heels. I smiled weakly at a thoroughly bemused looking Shawn, before following too.

"Doctor!" Sylvia exclaimed.

"Doctor, there's a woman here from the Time Agency. She says there's another Time Lord." Younger me said quickly, before anyone could speak.

My memories were still forming, meaning I couldn't focus properly on what was happening. As the fog cleared again, I realised that Jessica had just introduced us to the Doctor, who was staring in total bewilderment between us.

"I need you to help me find my father." She was saying.

"The Master." I supplied.

The Doctor looked at me then. His gaze was so hard and serious that I wanted to hide like I had done when I was younger. The next version of Dad could be terrifying when angry, but he had nothing on this version for staring.

Wordlessly, the Doctor turned and strode towards the TARDIS. Jessica followed him, almost jogging to keep up. In the time it took me to glance over my shoulder and send a silent apology to Donna, Nan and younger me, Gramps had set off after them as well.

No sooner had I stepped foot inside the TARDIS, than the doors slammed shut and we were moving through the Vortex. Almost as though the Doctor had forgotten we were there, he was running around the console, talking partly to himself and partly to Gramps about someone called Naismith.

"You cannot mention the Valiant." I hissed in Jessica's ear as we stood together, watching him doing the usual bigger-on-the-inside talk.

"Why?"

"Regeneration, remember." I reminded her. "That's something I can't explain away. He'll realise I've got a different face and then we'll be in trouble."

Jessica nodded. "Alright. Mum… who was that man with Auntie Donna?"

"Shawn Temple. Her boyfriend."

"What? Before Uncle Jack? No wonder she dumped him."

I shrugged. "She said Shawn was sweet, but he just wasn't the one for her." There was a pause and then I sighed. "Look, sweetheart, it's not too late to go, now. We can go home and forget all about this."

"No." Jessica shook her head. "I want to meet my father."

"_Cleaner?_" The Doctor was saying, sounding affronted. I tuned into the conversation taking place around us in case we missed something. "_I can take you back home right now!_"

"_Listen, Doctor._" Gramps said. "_If this is a time machine, that man you're chasing, why can't you just pop back to yesterday and catch him?_"

"Sounds logical to me." Jessica muttered.

I jabbed her in the ribs. "Shut up!"

"_I can't go back inside my own timeline. I have to stay relative to the Master within the causal matrix._" He explained, never staying still. "_Understand?_"

"_Not a word._" Gramps told him.

"Perfectly." Jessica said. "Although I don't agree."

The Doctor stopped and glared at us. "Who did you say you were again?"

"Jessica Miller and this is my mother, Olivia. She's a Time Agent."

"Olivia Miller… why does that name ring a bell?" The Doctor muttered.

I felt sick. This was such a bad idea. But now it was far too late to do anything about it. Dad was going to kill me when this was over. As long as I didn't die before we went home, that was.

"So?" Jessica cut in, instinctively feeling my discomfort. "What do you know about my father? Where is he?"

"I thought he was dead." The Doctor said softly. He slammed down the landing lever and jumped towards the doors. Gramps was just in front of him as they exited. "But he's not."

There was something odd about the way Dad was acting. I couldn't put my finger on exactly what it was, but there was definitely something wrong. He wasn't showing the usual amount of interest in us as he usually would. Two strangers showing up and asking questions about the Master; usually he would have been questioning us constantly.

"_We've moved!_" Gramps exclaimed, exiting the police box. "_We've really moved!_"

"_You should stay here._" The Doctor commanded. His gazed moved to Jessica and me. "All of you."

"_Not bloody likely!_" Gramps scoffed.

"_And don't swear! Hold on…_" He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the TARDIS and it vanished. "_Just a second out of synch. Don't want the Master finding the TARDIS. That's the last thing we need!_"

As we followed him through the stables and outside, Jessica scowled. "My Dad can't be that bad."

"I shot him, remember." I reminded her, arching an eyebrow.

She shrugged. "You shoot lots of people."

"Not lots of people I care about. But I had to shoot him; I had no choice. He had to die."

"He didn't though, did he?" Jessica pointed out, smirking.


	151. A Final Goodbye 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

"He's here…" I muttered, shivering slightly.

Jessica glanced at me. "How do you know?"

"I can feel it… it's… it's in my mind. I know he's here."

"You don't seem very happy about it." She murmured, looking slightly annoyed.

I stared at her in disbelief. "No, Jessica, I'm not particularly happy that we're here. I shot him and he died. But now he's back and doing who knows what and I swear if he lays one finger on you I will kill him again. This time I'll kill him with my bare hands and I will make sure he doesn't come back."

"Why would he hurt me?" Jessica asked, looking alarmed for the first time since we'd left our house.

"Because your father doesn't care about anyone but himself. He said he loved me, but…"

"He hurt you?"

I didn't answer, watching the Doctor sonic open the door instead. He led the way inside and I followed, not wanting to continue the conversation with my daughter.

"_Nice gate!_" He said, leaning round an archway and looking into a room filled with green lights and electronic whirring. I peered round him, wondering what was going on now.

"_Hello!_" Gramps called cheerfully. "_Look, sorry!_"

"_Don't try calling security, or I'll tell them you're wearing a shimmer._" Dad warned, moving into the room. "_'Cos I reckon anyone wearing a shimmer doesn't want the shimmer to be noticed, or they wouldn't need a shimmer in the first place._"

The woman in the white lab coat shook her head. "_I'm sorry, what's a shimmer?_"

"_Shimmer!_" The Doctor said, aiming his sonic screwdriver at her.

The resonance stripped away the shimmer and left the woman in her true form. The woman sighed in annoyance as Gramps and Jessica both gasped. Neither the Doctor nor I reacted to the now green, spiky woman who was standing in front of us. I recognised her as a Vinvocci at once, having spent a lot of time with one on a star-desert trek on Plasmoon.

"_Oh my Lord! She's a cactus!_" Gramps exclaimed. Jessica giggled.

"_Miss Addams? Miss Addams?_" A voice through the speaker unit called.

There was a jolt and the lights dimmed for a moment, before brightening again. The sick feeling settled in my stomach once more as the Doctor put on his glasses and moved to the computer monitors.

"_He's got it working, but what is it?_" He mused, talking mainly to himself. "_What's working?_"

I bent down beside him, taking in the readings and levels displayed on the screen. "It looks like some kind of cellular modification programme…"

The Doctor glanced at me for a moment, before returning his attention towards the screens.

"_What are you doing here?_" A man demanded. Neither Dad nor I looked away from the readings.

"_Shimmer!_"

I glanced up and saw that he, too, had been returned to his natural form. Gramps looked at Jessica, who was perched on the worktop beside him. She shrugged and shook her head bemusedly, so he turned back to the Doctor, who was straightening up.

"_Now, tell me quickly, what's going on? The Master? Harold Saxon, Skeletor, whatever you're calling him! What's he doing up there?_"

"He's fixing the machine." The male Vinvocci said, shrugging and looking confused at Dad's tone.

"No. There's something wrong."

"_But I checked the readings. He's done good work; it's operational._"

"_Who are you, though?_" The Doctor asked, ignoring his questioning tone. "_'Cos I met someone like you. He was brilliant. But he was little and red._"

"_No, that's a Zocci._" The female told him in exasperation.

"_We're not Zocci, we're Vinvocci._" The male clarified, almost angrily. "_Completely different!_"

"_And the gate is Hipocci. We're a salvage team. We picked up a signal when the humans re-activated it. And as soon as it's working, we can transport it to the ship._"

The Doctor looked around in confusion, obviously never having heard of Hipocci before. I almost smirked smugly, triumphant in the knowledge that for once I knew something he didn't. "_But… what does it do?_"

"_Well… it mends. It's as simple as that._" The male Vinvocci told him with a shrug. "_It's a medical device, to repair the body. It makes people better._"

There was a slight pause as the Doctor considered the possibility. Then he shook his head. "_No… there's got to be more. Every single warning says the Master is gonna so something colossal._"

"_So that thing is like a sick-bed, yeah?_" Gramps asked as Dad darted back to the monitors.

"_More or less._"

"_Well, pardon me for asking, but why is it so big?_"

"_Oh!_" Dad glanced up. "_Good question! Why is it so big?_"

The female Vinvocci, Addams, rolled her eyes. "_It doesn't just mend one person at a time._"

"_That would be ridiculous!"_ Her colleague chuckled.

"_It mends whole planets._"

I dropped the pen I was holding, standing up and turning to look at them in alarm. Something had just registered in the back of my mind. Millions of Masters; everyone changing. Everyone except Donna and me. Nan and Shawn; their heads spinning before his replaced them, laughing manically.

"_It does what?_" Dad asked softly.

"_It… transmits the medical template across the entire population._"

Dad looked at me and I looked at him. "The Master's template."

No sooner had the words left my mouth than the pair of us turned and sprinted out of the small room and up a flight of steps. Jessica started after us, but I ordered her to stay. Obviously hearing the seriousness in my tone, she hesitated and then stopped.

We hurtled along corridors and round corners, finally flinging ourselves through a doorway into a huge room, filled with people. At one end stood a large, circular metal thing. It was pulsing and flashing and I knew that it must be the gate.

"_Turn the gate off, right now!_" The Doctor ordered as he sprinted across the room. I was close on his heels, almost slamming into him as he stopped.

"_At arms!_" A man in a suit ordered and suddenly lots of guns were pointed at us.

"_No, no, no, no!_" The Doctor put up his hands, using one to push me partially behind him. "_Whatever you do, just don't let him near that device!_"

"_Oh, like that was ever going to happen!_" The Master said, sounding disappointed.

My breath caught in my throat at the sound of him. At such close proximity the sense that had been telling me that he was here went into overdrive and it was all I could do not to stagger under the weight of it. I glanced up and our eyes met. I saw a range of emotions struggling for dominance in his; pain, fear, anger, hope, longing.

Then the emotions were gone and he shed the straightjacket he was wearing as though it was made from nothing more substantial than tissue paper. He sent me one last look, before leaping into the air, high above us and heading straight for the gate. Lightening seemed to be being emitted from his hands.

"_Homeless, was I?_" He asked from inside the gate. I stared at him in horror. "_Destitute and dying? Well look at me now!_"

"_Deactivate it!_" Dad ordered, moving across the room urgently. "_All of you! Turn the whole thing off!_"

I found that I couldn't move, my eyes glued to the Master. He started laughing, the sound cutting straight through me like a hot knife through butter.

"_He's… inside… my head…_" Mr Naismith said slowly, screwing his eyes shut and shaking his head, as though trying to rid himself of pain. Around the room almost everyone was doing the same. Only Dad and I seemed unaffected.

"_Get out of there!_" Dad ordered, sprinting towards the gate. He barely got any closer than he had been, because a blast of electricity shot out of the Master's hands, turning to flame as it reached us, causing Dad to tumble to the ground, pulling me with him.

"_Doctor! Doctor there's this face…_" Gramps shouted from the doorway.

Jessica was guiding him into the room, looking terrified. She glanced at me lying on the floor, before her gaze moved to the man in the gate. Her eyes widened slightly as she regarded him.

"_What is it?_" Dad demanded, leaping to his feet and rushing to them. "_What can you see?_"

"_Well, it's him. I can see him. I keep seeing his face…_"

Moving to the computers, the Doctor bashed at the keyboards, trying to override the controls. "_I can't turn it off._"

"_That's because I locked it, idiot!_" The Master shouted.

"Oi!" I shouted back, scrambling to my feet. "Stop it! Stop this! Now!

The Master stared at me for a moment, his head on one side. Then he smiled. "No."

"_Wilfred!_" The Doctor pulled Gramps over to the glass chambers by the wall. "_Get inside! Get him out!_"

I watched as the Doctor changed the radiation levels, freeing Gramps from the visions. The Master was watching me curiously, I could feel it, but I refused to look. Jessica had moved backwards, her eyes wide and fearful. I had known this would happen when she met him.

"_Fifty seconds and counting._"

"_To what?_" The Doctor demanded.

"_Oh!_" The Master chuckled. "_You're gonna love this!_"

I jumped to action, moving to the computers and trying to bypass the access codes he had set. Nothing seemed to be working and, as Gramps' mobile started ringing, I let out a scream of frustration.

"_What is it?_" Dad demanded, rushing forward. "_Hypnotism? Mind control? You're grafting your thoughts inside them, is that it?_"

"_Oh! That's way too easy! No, no, no, no. They're not gonna think like me._" The Master told him, grinning broadly. "_They're gonna become me._"

"You can't!" I screamed at him furiously, anger descending over me in a split second. I rushed forward and Dad grabbed me round the waist, holding me back from leaping at him. "You can't do that!"

"I can!" He chuckled, raising his arms. "_And… zero!_"

A blast of energy exploded from the gate, almost knocking us off our feet as it passed. Around us, everyone's heads started whipping back and forth quickly, becoming nothing more than a blur. I turned my head to make sure Jessica was alright. She was standing with her back pressed to the wall, watching the soldier closest to her with horror.

The Doctor let go of me, but I barely noticed, my attention caught by the spinning heads. Slowly they were changing, becoming his.

It was horrific.


	152. A Final Goodbye 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

Before any of us could do anything, before we could move, the multiple Masters were on us. Two grabbed hold of my upper arms, holding me tightly. I turned my head and widened my eyes at Jessica, who got the message and ran. I squeezed my eyes closed, praying that she managed to avoid being caught. I wasn't sure where she would go; there was no way of getting into the TARDIS, but she was clever enough to think of something.

"_Now then, I've got a planet to run._" The Master, the real one, said softly, leaning in to speak in the Doctor's ear. He had strapped him to a trolley, covering his mouth to prevent him speaking. Turning away, he sent a smirk in my direction. "_Is everybody ready?_"

"It'll be alright." I assured Gramps quietly, looking sideways at him.

"_6 billion, 727 million, 949 thousand, 3 hundred and thirty-eight versions of us, awaiting orders._" Another of the Masters said over the video link.

I felt sick again. Trying to wriggle free of the ropes that bound me to the chair, it felt as though the more I moved, the tighter they became. There was no way of escaping.

"_This is Washington._" A third Master said, the picture on the screen changing abruptly. "_As President of the United States, I can transfer all of the United Nations protocols to you immediately, putting you in charge of all the Earth's defences._"

The screen swapped around and a Master in military dress spoke. "_UNIT HQ, Geneva reporting; all under your command, sir._"

"_And this is the Central Military Commission here in Beijing, sir, with over 2.5 million soldiers, sir._" Yet another Master announced as the picture changed again. "_Present arms._"

I stifled a cry as the screen showed rows upon rows of armed men, all with the Master's face.

"_Enough soldiers and weapons to turn this planet into a warship…_" He grinned and glanced at Dad. "_Nothing to say, Doctor? What's that? Pardon? Sorry?_"

"_You let him go, you swine!_" Gramps ordered angrily beside me.

"_Oh… your Dad's still kicking up a fuss._"

"_Yeah? Well I'd be proud if I was._"

"_Hush, now._" The Master commanded, advancing angrily. "_Listen to your Master._"

"Don't tell him to hush!" I snapped, struggling against the ropes even more. "Let us go! What are you actually trying to achieve here? Everyone's you, we get that, but why? What's the point in more than six and a half billion people being turned into you?"

"I was waiting for you to start talking." The Master smiled down at me nastily, moving closer. "You look different, but I'd know you anywhere. I can feel you. Thought you'd got rid of me, didn't you?"

"Yes, I did!"

"But now I'm back and I'm everyone!"

"Fantastic!" I told him sarcastically. "You do see the flaw in this, don't you?"

There was a pause. "Flaw?"

"You have no way of keeping this going. You're going to die, one by one, and there'll be no one to replace you."

"That's not important." He answered with a shrug, turning away.

"Wha–" I started, suddenly cut off by Gramps' phone ringing again.

"_But tha… that's a mobile?_" The Master looked between us, thoroughly confused.

"_Yeah… it's mine. Let me turn it off._" Gramps chuckled, looking worried.

"_No, no, no, no. I don't think you understand. Everybody on this planet is me. And I'm not phoning you, so who the hell is that?_"

He started going through Gramps' pockets, trying to find the mobile. "_It's nobody, I tell you! It's nothing! It's probably one of them ring-back calls._"

"_Ooh! And look at this._" The Master said, pulling a handgun out of Gramps' pocket. "_Good man!_" He found the phone and stared at the screen. "_Donna? Who's Donna?_"

"_She's no one, just leave it._"

The Master answered the phone, holding it to his ear. It was loud enough that I could hear Donna's panicked voice on the other end. "_Gramps? Don't hang up. You've got to help us! We ran out, me and Evie. Everyone was changing._"

"_Who are they? Why didn't they change?_"

"_Gramps? I can't hear you?_"

"_Well… it was this thing the Doctor did… He did it to her, the Meta-Crisis._"

"_Oh… he loves playing with Earth girls!_" The Master sneered. "What about the other one, this Evie?"

"I… I don't know." Gramps confessed.

Donna's voice reached me again. "_Are you there?_"

The Master turned to the video screen beside him. "_Find her, trace the call._"

"_Are you still there?_" Donna sobbed. "_Can you hear me?_"

"_Say goodbye to the freaks, Granddad._" The Master ordered, holding the mobile to his ear.

"_Donna, get out of there!_" He shouted, leaning into the phone. "_Look, just get out of there._ You and Evie. _I'm telling you, run!_"

"_She's on Wessex Lane, Chiswick. Open the phone lines._" The Master on the screen informed them. "_Everyone on Wessex Lane, red alert._"

"_What do we do?_" Donna asked, panicking. I closed my eyes, remembering the panic myself.

"_Run, sweetheart, that's all! Run for your life!_"

"_There's more of them…_"

"_Donna? What's happening? Are you still there?_"

"_They're everywhere._"

"_Donna! Look, I'm telling you to run, Donna! Just run, sweetheart! Just run!_"

I closed my eyes tightly, vividly remembering standing in that alley with Donna, looking around at all the figures advancing on us. They were dressed differently, but they all had the same face. His face. The younger me had no idea what was going on. I had been terrified, Donna and I clinging to each other in fear.

"_It hurts!_" Donna exclaimed.

I could see her in my mind, standing in the alley, clutching her head. The teenage me hadn't realised what was going on, but now it all made sense. Donna's memories were still settling, the Time Lord part of her hadn't quite meshed with the human part. Under the threat of attack before it was finished, the Meta-Crisis had kicked in, protecting Donna.

The flash of bright, regeneration energy that had been emitted from her, knocking out the advancing figures was the final step to stabilising the two parts of Donna's new DNA. She had glanced at me, her eyes wide with surprise.

"_I don't want to die._" She had murmured, before collapsing in a heap on the ground.

Dropping to her side, I had pushed back the hair covering her face and rested a hand on her forehead. She wasn't burning up, which was a good sign, I decided. Then, the link that now connected us had kicked in and I, too, had blacked out.

"_Donna?_" Gramps said, bringing me back to reality. "_What was that? Donna? Donna, are you there? Donna!_ Evie? _Donna!_ Evie! _Donna!_"

My gaze was drawn to the Doctor, who seemed to be smiling. Following my gaze, the Master noticed as well, standing up and crossing the room. He removed the strap that was preventing Dad from speaking, angrily.

"_That's better. Hello!_" Dad said, cheerfully. "_But really, d'you think I'd leave my best friend without a defence mechanism?_"

"_Doctor, what happened?_" Gramps asked.

"_She's alright, she's fine, promise._ They both are. _They'll just sleep._"

The Master leant down, speaking in a low voice. "_Tell me, where's your TARDIS?_"

"_You could be so wonderful._"

"_Where is it?_"

"_You're a genius. You're stone-cold brilliant, you are, I swear, you really are. But you could be so much more. You could be beautiful. With a mind like that, we could travel the stars. It would be my honour. 'Cos you don't need to own the universe, just see it. To have the privilege of seeing the whole of time and space, that's ownership enough._"

"_Would it stop then?_" The Master asked, sounding more subdued than I'd ever heard him. "_The noise in my head?_"

"_I can help._" Dad offered.

"_I don't know what I'd be without that noise._"

"_Wonder what I'd be without you._"

There was a long pause as the Time Lords looked at each other. For a brief moment I wondered whether Dad had actually got through to the Master. Then I reminded myself that he was mad; mad and bad and completely unreachable. There was no way of getting through to the Master.

"_Yeah…_" He murmured after a couple of moments.

"_What does he mean?_" Gramps shouted next to me, breaking the moment. "_What noise?_"

The Master turned, his face contorting with anger. He had clearly forgotten for a minute that we were there. "_It began on Gallifrey, as children. Not that you'd call it childhood; more a life of duty. Eight-years-old, I was taken for initiation, to stare into the Untempered Schism._"

"_What does that mean?_" Gramps asked. I jumped at his voice. The Master looked away from me and I shivered.

"_It's a gap in the fabric of reality._" Dad explained. All this was new information to me. I had never been told anything about his childhood, or Gallifrey. He never wanted to talk about it. "_You can see into the Time Vortex itself. And it hurts._"

"_They took me there, in the dark. I looked into time, old man, and I heard it calling to me. Drums… the never-ending drums…_"

I remembered him telling me about the drum-beat; four taps in a row. "I remember…"

"_Listen to it. Listen!_"

"_Let's find it, you and me._" Dad offered.

The Master's eyes widened and he turned in my direction, almost as though he was looking through me. "_Except… Oh! Oh! Wait a minute! Oh, yes! Oh, that's good._"

"_What? What is?_"

"_The noise exists within my head and now within six billion heads. Everyone on Earth can hear it. Imagine! Oh! Oh, yes!_" He laughed delightedly. There was a flash and his head disappeared, replaced with an ex-ray version. I gasped, my eyes wide.

"_The gate wasn't enough._" The Doctor told him as he curled in a ball on the ground. "_You're still dying._"

"_This body was born out of death; all it can do is die._"

"It was born out of life!" I corrected him, angrily.

"An accident." He snapped, causing my blood to boil in my veins. "_But what did you say to me, back in the wasteland? You said, 'the end of time'._"

"_I said something is returning. I was shown a prophecy. That's why I need your help._"

"_What if I'm part of it?_" The Master asked excitedly. "_Don't you see? The drumbeat is calling from so far away, from the end of time itself! And now it's been amplified six billion times! Triangulate all those signals; I could find its source! Look, Doctor, that's what your prophecy was. Me!_"


	153. A Final Goodbye 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

There was a resounding slap as the Master hit the Doctor. I couldn't help a small gasp escaping from my lips. Beside me, Gramps made a noise as well and I looked at him. He sent me a weak smile, obviously feeling the need to reassure me.

"_Where's the TARDIS?_"

"_No… Just stop… Just think._"

"_Kill him._" The Master commanded, pointing behind him at Gramps.

"No!" I screamed, struggling against the ropes.

Gramps didn't say anything, looking at the soldier advancing on him with concern. I stopped struggling abruptly. There was something not right about the soldier. He didn't feel like the Master. The soldier stopped in front of us, aiming at Gramps and preparing to shoot.

"_I need that technology, Doctor._" The Master said, standing beside his soldier. "_Tell me where it is, or the old man is dead._"

"_Don't tell him!_"

"_I'll kill him, right now!_"

"_Actually,_" Dad said, sounding unbelievably calm for someone in his position, "_the most impressive thing about you is that, even after all this time, you're still bone-dead stupid._"

"_Take aim._" The Master ordered, glaring at him.

"_You've got six billion pairs of eyes, but you still can't see the obvious, can you?_"

"_Like what?_"

"_That guard is one inch too tall._"

As the Master turned to look at the soldier, he raised the gun and smacked him across the face with it. The Master groaned and fell heavily to the floor, landing in a heap. We all stared at his crumpled form for a moment, before the soldier removed his helmet.

"_Oh my god, I hit him!_" The male Vinvocci said, sounding horrified. "_I've never hit anyone in my life!_"

"Well it's about time you started then." I pointed out, struggling against the ropes.

The door at the far end of the room opened and Addams burst through it. "_Well come on! We need to get out of here, fast._" She went to work on Gramps' ropes and her colleague moved to try and free the Doctor.

"_God bless the cactuses!_" Gramps exclaimed cheerfully.

"_That's cacti._" Dad corrected him.

"_That's racist!_"

"Where's Jessica?" I demanded, finally managing to loosen the ropes around my wrists.

"She's making preparations." Addams told me and I sighed with relief.

"_This prophecy of yours, Doctor, where did it come from?_" The Master on the screen from the other room asked. We all looked at each other, panicking. "_Doctor?_"

"_Come on! We've got to get out!_" Addams urged, freeing Gramps from his chair.

"_There's too many buckles and straps!_"

"_Just, wheel him!_" She replied, vanishing through the doorway. The Doctor looked horrified at the prospect. "_No! No, no! Get me out! No, no, don't! No!_"

Gramps moved to help my undo the knots keeping me strapped to the chair. There were too many and it was taking too long. The sound of feet got louder as The Doctor was wheeled past us.

I shook my head. "You've got to go!"

"I'm not leaving you, girl!" Gramps replied firmly.

"You have to! I can handle the Master… Masters. Just, look after my daughter for me." I begged.

He stared at me for a moment, putting his head on one side. "I don't know who you are, but I feel like I should."

I smiled weakly at him. "Time travel's a bitch like that, Gramps."

His eyes widened slightly, and then he chuckled, bending down to press a kiss to my forehead before hurrying after the others. No sooner had he disappeared through the door, than there was a low groan and the Master pushed himself to his knees, rubbing his head. Soldiers appeared in the doorway, rushing towards him.

"_Find him! Find him!_" He ordered, still on the floor.

Getting to his feet, the Master turned slowly to face me, a smile on his face. He advanced, looking at me without blinking. I stared back, refusing to look away.

"So? They left you behind, eh?" He asked softly, crouching down in front of me and putting one hand over the rope at my wrist. Suddenly he yanked it tight, the rope cutting into my wrist. I stifled a cry and he smiled broadly. "Oh, Evie, Evie, Evie. What are we going to do with you?"

"They haven't left me behind. I told them to go."

"Very brave of you." He sneered. "We'll resume this little chat later, when I've caught the Doctor and his little friends." As he turned to follow his soldiers in search of their prisoners, he stopped and smirked at her. "By the way, I love the new look. Ginger? Very you."

x-x

"_Turn everything you've got to the skies!_" The Master ordered, bursting into the room his minions had brought me to after he'd rushed off in search of the Doctor and the others. "_Find me that ship! And prime the missiles._"

"_Open up the radar, maximum scan._" The UNIT Master ordered his men.

"I will find them, Evie." The Master assured me, bending down. "The Doctor, the old man, those scientists and the girl." He noticed my involuntary gasp at the mention of Jessica. "Who is the girl?"

"She's my daughter."

"Your daughter, eh?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "Have you been cheating on me? Because, to all intents and purposes, you are my wife."

"'Til death do us part, sweetie." I said in a low voice.

He chuckled. "Yes, about that. Did you end up in Stormcage, like your precious Mother? Oh, yes, I know all about Professor River Song."

"Why are you doing this?" I demanded angrily.

"It's fun!"

"Seriously? You're happy to destroy an entire race, an entire planet, just because it's fun?"

"Oh, stop it!" He chuckled. "You're beginning to sound like the Doctor. Oh… wait… there's a reason for that, isn't there?"

"Don't!" I snapped, my eyes flashing furiously.

The Master threw back his head and laughed, the strange x-ray of his skull appearing again. "Don't worry, why would I want to ruin that little surprise." He moved away to check on one of the monitors. After a moment, he looked back at me. "Hang on… the woman on the phone said 'Evie and me'. Is she with you? A different version of you?" I said nothing, glaring at him. "Oh, this is brilliant!"

"Leave Donna alone!"

"I have no intention of doing anything to her. I'll let you create that paradox all on your own." He shrugged. "Who'd have thought it, the Doctor's child messing up timelines left, right and centre. Has he got no control?"

"_Lost him._" The UNIT Master said with a sigh. I smiled, smugly.

"_What about teleport coordinates?_"

"_I need that information._"

"_He's cut the link, sir._" Another Master said, his voice reaching us through the sound system. "_No trace; all dead. Still… Open fire._" There was the sound of gunfire over the system and I jumped involuntarily. "_No way back now. He's stranded._"

"Where are they?" The Master demanded, leaning over me threateningly.

"I don't know." I said truthfully. "I have absolutely no idea."


	154. A Final Goodbye 7

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

My chair had been brought to stand beside the gate so that I could witness what was about to take place. I glared at the two soldiers that flanked me, even though I could barely move. The Master smiled down at me as he stood in front of the gate, rubbing his hands in excitement.

He signalled for the men to untie me and they did. I rubbed my wrists, wincing as the blood flowed properly once more. The chair was taken away and I stood, flanked by four soldiers now, each holding their guns and prepared to shoot if I tried anything.

"_Night has fallen._ _Are we ready?_"

"_Every single one of us is prepared._"

"_Then we listen, all of us, across the world._" He commanded, seriously. "_Just, listen._"

Everything went silent, each of them closing their eyes and tilting their heads upwards. I realised that now would be the time for me to act, but there was nothing I could do. Instead I stood and watched with morbid curiosity.

"_Concentrate._" The Master urged. "_Find the signal._" There was a long silence and then his eyes snapped open. "_There! The sound is tangible. Someone could only have designed this. But who?_"

He turned to look at me, his eyes searching my face, as though looking to me for an answer. I shook my head and he crossed the floor, gripping my face in his hands. He rested his forehead against mine and I heard it; the drumming. With a gasp I pulled away, my eyes wide. At once the sound stopped.

"See?" He asked softly. "You heard it, didn't you? You can feel it."

I nodded warily. Satisfied, he moved back to his original position in front of the gate and looked around.

"_The sound, it's coming from above._"

"_It's coming from the sky!_" The Master shouted. Grabbing my hand, he dragged me to the doors, threw them open and stepped out into the night air. I followed his gaze, staring up. "_There!_" Something was blazing across the sky, falling hard and fast through the darkness. "_Find it. Get out there and find it!_"

The soldiers rushed away, leaving the Master and me alone on the balcony, staring at the now dark sky. I drew back slightly, standing further away from him. As though he sensed it, the Master reached back and fastened his hand around my wrist, pulling me to stand beside him. One arm clamped around my waist, holding me tightly against his body.

"All this… all of it… I'd gladly see it burn to get rid of that sound." He told me, looking into my eyes. He chuckled. "You're disgusted by that, aren't you?"

"It's selfish."

The Master shrugged. "So?"

"Think of everyone and everything you're going to destroy."

He leant close to me and for a moment I thought he was going to kiss me. Instead his eyes roved over my face. "I don't care."

x-x

"Alright!" I snapped as two of the soldiers dragged me from the bedroom where they had taken me hours before. "I can walk, you know."

They just chuckled and led me back to the room with the gate in it. The Master grinned at me as I arrived and rubbed his hands together with glee.

"You're just in time for the main event!"

"What d'you mean?" I demanded, taking a step towards him. Immediately the soldiers pulled me back.

The Master raised his arms, looking up, and turned in a slow circle in the centre of the room. "_Come home._" There was a long pause and then he closed his eyes and smiled. "_We have contact._"

"What are you doing?" I asked angrily. "Who have you contacted?"

"The Time Lords." He said with a smile. "Our people are coming."

My eyes widened in horror. "But… they can't…"

"Oh, they can!" He chuckled.

"_Sir! We've got a fix!_" The UNIT Master said excitedly on the monitor. "_105 thousand miles in orbit._"

"Looks like a family reunion is on the cards." The Master laughed delightedly. "Or maybe not!"

"_All NATO defences coordinated, sir, awaiting your command._"

"_I don't need him! Any second now I'll have Time Lords to spare! Take him out! Launch missiles!_"

"No!" I screamed, fighting against the soldiers that were clinging onto me. "Don't you dare! No!"

"Too late!"

"She's your daughter!" I shouted desperately. "Jessica is your daughter!"

The Master turned slowly and looked at me. "What?"

"The girl, she's your daughter!"

"I don't believe you." He shrugged, turning away.

"NO!" I screamed as more missiles were launched. "Stop!"

"_He's heading straight for you!_" UNIT Master said. I breathed a sigh of relief in the knowledge that they had survived so far.

"_But too late; they are coming!_"

Suddenly bright light engulfed the gate. It grew brighter and brighter until I had to cover my face. The Master danced delightedly on the spot, laughing happily. The room began to shake, vibrating alarmingly as the light grew brighter still. I forced down the sobs that were rising in my throat, not wanting to think about what might be happening on the ship that held Dad and Gramps and Jessica.

"_Closer!_" The Master shouted. Shapes began to materialise in the gate. I gasped, shaking my head. "_And closer! And closer!_"

"_I think I should warn you…_" The Master by the window said.

"_Not now!_"

Five figures came clearly into view. There were three men in red robes, the outer two wearing large gold headdresses and the one in the centre holding a large staff. Between the men stood two women, also dressed in red, covering their faces with their hands. They reminded me of the Weeping Angels.

All of a sudden there was an almighty crash and something plummeted to the ground in front of me. Horrified, I realised that it was Dad, lying spread-eagled on the marble floor, surrounded by glass from the ceiling he had crashed through. He raised the gun that I recognised as Gramps' for a moment, before collapsing back onto the ground.

Before anyone could stop me, I rushed to his side, dropping to the ground and running my hand over what little of his face I could reach.

"_My Lord Doctor…_" The Time Lord with the staff said, moving forward slowly. "_My Lord Master. We are gathered for the end._"

The Doctor tried to get up, but I shook my head, holding him down. We argued silently for a moment, before I sighed and moved my hands, helping him upright.

"_Listen to me… you can't…_"

"_It's a fitting paradox that our salvation comes at the hands of our most infamous child._"

"_Oh… he's not saving you._" The Doctor shook his head. "_Don't you realise what he's doing?_"

"_Hey, no, hey! That's mine! Hush!_" The Master ordered. "_Look around you. I've transplanted myself into every single human being. But who wants a mongrel little species like them? Because now I can transplant myself into every single Time Lord._" He looked at me and winked. "_Oh, yes! Mr President, sir, standing there all noble and resplendent and decrepit. Think how much better you're going to look as me._"

The President raised his left hand, smiling. He wore a metal gauntlet. Both the Doctor and the Master looked alarmed at its appearance. The President opened his hand and the gauntlet shone. At once the Master clones' heads began to spin again.

"_No, don't!_" He complained, looking around. "_No, no! No, stop it! No, no! No, no, don't!_"

Within a couple of moments everyone was back to normal, blinking in confusion. The Doctor was on the floor again, breathing heavily. I helped him stand up once more, allowing him to lean on me as he stared around.

"_On your knees, mankind._" The President commanded and they did as they were told, looking terrified.

"_That's… that's fine._" The Master tried to backtrack. "_That's good, because you said, 'salvation'. I still saved you, don't forget that._"

"_The approach begins._"

"_Approach of what?_"

The gate began to shine with light once more and the rumbling, vibrating grew stronger.

"_Something is returning._" Dad snapped. "_Don't you ever listen? That was the prophecy. Not someone, something._"

The Master glared at him. "_What is it?_"

"_They're not just bringing back the species. It's Gallifrey! Right here, right now._"

The room began to shake, furniture and debris falling randomly. The humans began to scream, running for cover while we stood, watching.

"_I did this! I get the credit!_" The Master shouted, delighted. "_I'm on your side._"

He was fighting a losing batter, I knew it and he knew it. The Time Lords fixed him with a look of distain as he raised his arms and stared at them.

"_Doctor?_" I heard Gramps' voice a split second before I was almost knocked off my feet as Jessica barrelled into me. I hugged her tightly, not wanting to let go.

She pulled back, staring at me with wide eyes. "What's going on?"

"The Time Lords are bringing back Gallifrey." I said as calmly as I could manage. "It's going to knock the Earth out of the way." I noticed the Master watching us and pulled Jessica behind me, out of his sight. "Just stay with me, sweetie."


	155. A Final Goodbye 8

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: A Final Goodbye**

"_But, this is fantastic, isn't it?_" The Master demanded, looking from Dad to the other Time Lords. "_The Time Lords restored._"

The Doctor glared at him from his position on the ground. "_You weren't there in the final days of the war. You never saw what was born. But if the time-lock's broken then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degredations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-Have-Been King with his army of meanwhiles and never-weres, the war turning to hell._" He snapped, still staring at the Master. Jessica squeezed my arm and opened her mouth to ask something, but I shook my head, gripping her hand tightly. "_And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending!_"

"_My kind of world!_"

"_Just listen!_" The Doctor ordered him from the ground. "_'Cos even the Time Lords can't survive that!_"

"_We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand. The rupture will continue until it rips the Time Vortex apart._"

Even the Master seemed alarmed by the Time Lord's words. "_That's suicide!_"

"_We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone! Free of these bodies, free of time and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be._"

"_You see now?_" The Doctor asked in a gruff voice, looking up from his place on the ground. "_That's what they were planning in the final days of the war. I had to stop them._"

"_Then take me with you, Lord President. Let me ascend into glory!_" The Master asked, raising his hands and sinking to his knees in front of the Time Lord.

He curled his lip, regarding the Master with disgust. "_You are diseased; albeit a disease of our own making. No more._"

Silence seemed to fall over me as I looked between the two Time Lords. The President raised his gauntleted hand slowly, before pointing it at the Master. I gasped, my eyes widening in horror as I realised what he was about to do.

"No!" I gasped, moving forward without realising what I was doing.

Jessica clung onto me. "Mum!"

There was a loud click. I realised the Doctor was on his feet and had cocked Gramps' handgun, pointing it at the Time Lord in the gate. His face was set in a grim mask of determination, glaring at the man in front of him.

"_Choose your enemy well._" The President commanded, his hand still outstretched. "_We are many. The Master is but one._"

"_But he's the President!_" The Master ground out. "_Kill him and Gallifrey could be yours!_"

In a second, Dad whirled round and aimed the gun at the Master instead. I couldn't stop a small gasp escaping from my lips again. Jessica's hold on me tightened further. I could imagine the expression of fear on her face, although I couldn't tear my gaze away from the Master for long enough to see it for myself.

"_He's to blame, not me!_" The Master reminded the Doctor. He didn't move, his aim steady. "_Ohh… the link is inside my head. Kill me, the link gets broken, they go back._" Dad didn't speak, merely staring him out. "_You never would, you coward. Go on, then. Do it!_"

I was reminded of the moment on the Valiant. The Master had tried to provoke Dad into killing him then, but it had been me who had snapped. This time I was unarmed and the decision was purely down to the Doctor.

He turned, aiming squarely at the Time Lords once more.

"_Exactly!_" The Master crowed triumphantly. "_It's not just me; it's him! He's the link! Kill him!_"

"_The final act of your life is murder._" The President said, almost gloatingly. I flicked my gaze briefly from the Master to Dad and saw that his eyes were full of pain at the prospect. "_But which one of us?_"

The tension as he considered the options was horrible. Jessica's grasp on my arm was incredibly painful, her nails digging into my flesh. I tried to prise her hand open, to hold it tightly in mine. Her eyes were wide as she gazed between the Time Lords, trying to work out what was going to happen.

I stared helplessly at the Master. As he stood, defiantly waiting for the Doctor to decide on his next move, he glanced sideways at me and smiled. It wasn't the usual smile he had plastered on his face. This smile was gentle, full of meaning.

"Mum!" Jessica hissed, tugging on my top as she had down when she was a child. "Who's she? Who's that woman?"

I turned to see what she was talking about. Behind the President, one of the women had lowered her hands to reveal her face. She was staring sadly at the Doctor, tears streaming down her cheeks. I turned my gaze onto him and saw the acute sadness on his face.

"I don't know, sweetie." I admitted, putting an arm around her shoulders and pulling Jessica close to me.

She buried her face in my neck. I almost sobbed in anguish as the Doctor spun round once more and aimed the handgun at the Master. His face was hard and determined now, but there were tears in the Master's eyes. I turned away, closing my eyes and resting my head on my daughter's.

"_Get out of the way._" Dad ordered.

I looked up just in time to see the Master dive to the floor and the Doctor pull the trigger. The machine behind where the Master had been standing exploded in a shower of sparks and a ball of fire.

"_The link is broken!_" Dad explained loudly, over the sudden rush of wind that hit us. I clung tightly to Jessica, struggling to stay on my feet. "_Back into the Time War, Rassilon! Back into hell!_"

"_You'll die with me, Doctor!_" The President threatened, furious that his plans had been thwarted.

"_I know…_"

Rassilon pointed the gauntlet at Dad. I couldn't move as it started to glow blue, concentrating all my efforts on keeping Jessica at my side. I wanted to scream out, to do something, anything, to stop what was about to happen. But I was frozen to the spot.

"_Get out of the way._" The Master commanded in a low, calm voice. I turned and stared at him, standing behind the Doctor. Without warning, he shot a bolt of pure electricity from his hand, hitting Rassilon square in the chest. The Time Lord stumbled backwards slightly, taken by surprise. "_You did this to me! All of my life! You made me! One… two… three… four!_"

The light was too bright and I twisted my head, resting my forehead into Jessica's hair to block out the blinding light engulfing us. When I looked up again, the Time Lords in the gate were gone. My heart sank as I realised that the Master had disappeared as well. Seeming to realise what I was feeling, Jessica squeezed my hand. I turned to her and smiled weakly.

"You really did love him, didn't you?" She asked softly.

I nodded wordlessly, chewing my lip and sighing. "Come on, let's go before Dad regains consciousness." Jessica smiled at me and looked around. I followed her gaze and saw that Wilf was watching us curiously. I smiled at him. "See you soon."

"Yeah, see you soon, Evie." He nodded with a wry smile.

Jessica looked shocked, but I just laughed and waved. "Bye, Gramps. Come along, Jessica Song… you are in so much trouble when we get home."


	156. Playdate

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Playdate**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter is written from Amy's perspective. I have no idea how it will turn out, so fingers crossed!**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 4

Location: Leadworth, England, Earth

Date: 2043 AD

* * *

><p>"<strong>No, Prime Minister…" The Doctor said agitatedly into the phone on his console. "I can't possibly… I have a… yes, Evie's here."<strong>

**He looked across the console room to where his daughter was sitting cross-legged on the floor playing with the toys her grandmother had made her. She seemed to be acting out some kind of invasion, with the tiny River figure bashing violently into the tiny Dalek. **

"**Fine, I'll drop her at her grandmother's house and be with you as soon as possible."**

* * *

><p>"But why?" Evie demanded, folding her arms and pouting at her father.<p>

"I have to go and meet the Prime Minister." He tried to explain, looking as though he would prefer not to be having that conversation.

"Look, Doctor…" I tried to explain that leaving Evie with me wasn't a possibility, but he wasn't listening.

"I won't be long!"

Before I could stop him, the Time Lord vanished into the TARDIS and dematerialised. Evie glared at the spot where the police box had just been, stamping her feet in annoyance. I pulled a face, chewing my lip anxiously.

"Oh god…"

This seemed to get my granddaughter's attention and she looked up at me. "What, Gramy?"

"This isn't really a…" I broke off, wondering how to explain to a four-year-old that having her around at the moment really wasn't a good idea without upsetting her. "I'm just a bit busy at the moment, sweetie."

"I can help." Evie suggested, tilting her head to one side and fixing me with her fierce gaze. She already seemed to have forgotten her anger at being left here.

"It's not… there's…" I sighed. "Oh, what the hell, this is your father's fault."

Taking her by the hand, I led her towards the living room and opened the door. Evie stopped dead on the threshold and looked up at me uncertainly. I smiled reassuringly and let go of her hand, trying to usher her into the room. The little girl stood firm, narrowing her eyebrows at me.

"Evie, this is Jessica." I said with a more cheerful smile than I should have been wearing. This could be a very dangerous morning. "Jess, this is Evie."

"Like Mummy?" My great-granddaughter asked from her position on the floor in the centre of the room.

I nodded, still forcing myself to smile. "Mmm… just like Mummy. Why don't you show Evie what you're doing? Maybe she can help?"

As Evie walked reluctantly towards Jessica, I turned and raced out of the room and into the kitchen. Picking up my phone, I paced backwards and forwards over the tiles until River answered my call.

"River? It's Mum. I've got a massive problem!"

"I'm kinda busy at the moment…" River panted and the sound of gunfire was unmistakable in the background. "I'll phone you back in a minute."

The line went dead and I sighed, banging the phone against my chin, thinking hard. Evie, the older version who had dropped her daughter off this morning, was at work, but surely she would be able to take a day off when she heard the problem.

"Evie?" I said as soon as the call was answered.

"Gran?"

"Yeah, listen… there's a slight issue with–"

"What's she done now?" Was the exasperated response from my Granddaughter before I could even finish the sentence.

"No, it's not Jess." I assured her quickly. "It's your father."

There was the sound of Evie exhaling sharply. "What's he done now?"

"He's only gone and dropped the younger version of you here." I explained quickly. "At the moment, four-year-old you is playing Dalek invasion in my living room your four-year-old daughter and I don't have a clue what to do about it. I tried phoning your Mum, but she's currently in the middle of something."

"Bloody hell…"

"Language!"

"Sorry, Gran." Evie muttered, evidently thinking hard. "Listen, I'll ring Donna and Gwen and see if one of them can come and collect Jess for me."

"GRAMY!"

I jumped at the sheer volume of four-year-old Evie's voice and darting through the door into the living room. The two little girls were standing, facing each other, with their hands on their hips and remarkably similar scowls on their faces. On the carpet between them, the figures they'd been playing with were strewn about in a haphazard manner.

With a jolt I realised that they were two sets of the same figures, one more battered than the other. Evidently the newer set belonged to Evie and the older set were Jessica's, passed down from her mother.

"What's the matter, sweetie?" I called as calmly as I could.

"She," Evie jabbed her finger towards Jessica angrily, "said that the Cybermen were more scary than the Daleks and she wouldn't let me make them win."

"But the Cybermen are more scarier!" Jessica argued fiercely. "They would win!"

"But surely you two would win against both of them?" I asked, desperately hoping that this would help to end the argument.

For a moment they glared at each other. Gradually I could see both of them conceding that this was a possibility and, after a minute or two, they sat back down and resumed their game.

With a long sigh, I leant against the doorframe. "You better hurry up, Evs." I warned her. "Word War Twelve might break out if you don't!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written after a prompt from **__**glacierflight; I think it would be funny if the Doctor really messed up timelines and little Evie met little Jessica.**_

_**Hope you like it! :)**_


	157. Something Old, Something New 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Something Old, Something New**

Age: 24

Location: Chiswick, London, England, Earth

Date: June 2013

* * *

><p>"Hurry up!" I shouted up the stairs to Mum's bedroom.<p>

She was taking ages to get ready and I'd already given her three five minute warnings which she had totally ignored. It wasn't as though we were really on a schedule, though. With the Vortex Manipulators we could leave whenever we wanted and still be early. It was my excitement and eagerness to get there that was making me impatient.

"Alright, alright!" Mum grumbled after this warning, appearing at the top of the stairs in a tight, low-cut midnight blue dress. "How do I look?"

"Like a hooker." I informed her bluntly.

She curtseyed. "Thank you."

"Can we actually leave now?" I demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"I don't know why you're being so grumpy." Mum shrugged, making her way slowly down the stairs in the ridiculously high-heeled shoes that matched her dress. "It's not your wedding. You're just a bridesmaid."

"I am well aware of that fact, Mother, the main giveaway being the fact that I'm wearing a bridesmaid's dress." I pointed out, rolling my eyes. "Look, can you do me a favour and not get drunk like you did at Martha and Mickey's wedding? That was so embarrassing. I never want to see you and Dad dancing like that ever again. For someone who doesn't 'do' weddings you certainly were enjoying yourself!"

I can't help it if your father loves dancing."

"You can help it if you challenge everyone in the vicinity, including loads of Mickey's mechanic mates, to a drinking competition. I swear that one guy thought he was in with a chance."

"It's not my fault if everyone else is a lightweight, is it?" Mum reasoned, checking her reflection in the hall mirror.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my bag from the bannister. Folding my arms over my chest I waited until she was finally satisfied with her appearance.

"Your father said he'll meet us at the church." Mum told me, setting coordinates into her Vortex Manipulator. "Is Tom going to do the same?"

I nodded. "Yeah, I need to go to Sylvia's though, bridesmaid duties and all that."

"Yeah, well, as everyone thinks you're Sylvia's granddaughter, I have to pretend to be her daughter."

I raised an eyebrow at her disbelievingly. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah." Mum nodded, grinning. "While you and Jenny were off dress shopping and at the spa with Donna, I had to get Mickey to do his thing with some of Sylvia's old photos. There are now pictures of me at all the big family occasions in the Noble family history."

I started laughing and shook my head. "Nan really cares what other people think, doesn't she? She made you do all that just to keep up appearances?"

"If it keeps her happy then I'm all for it! This is what comes from being in the Doctor's family! It all gets a bit... muddled." Mum chuckled.

"But... what will Gran and Gramps say when they hear you calling Nan Mum?"

Mum shrugged. "They understand. Besides, I can't exactly call them Mum and Dad, can I? They look almost the same age as you!" I opened my mouth to say something else, but Mum cut me off, grabbing my wrist. "I thought you were in a hurry? Come on!"

We whirled away through the Vortex, materialising in Sylvia's back garden. The patio doors opened and Wilf appeared in the doorway, beaming at us. I grinned and threw myself at him, laughing as he wrapped me in a tight hug before holding me at arm's length to take in my outfit.

"You look beautiful, my girl." He told me fondly, before I smiled and made my way through the house.

"Don't go making her more big-headed than she already is, Wilf!" Mum's voice carried to me as I moved through the kitchen.

Gramps chuckled. "You better start calling me Granddad, sweetheart, or Sylvia will start nagging."

That was my cue to laugh as I pictured the scene. Mum wasn't scared of anything or anyone, but Sylvia Noble was pretty close to being someone who scared her. That was probably the reason that Mum was going along with her story in the first place; anything for a quiet life. Well, quiet-ish.

I went into the living room and found myself immediately grabbed by Jenny and pulled onto the sofa. She looked beautiful, as always, in her deep pink bridesmaid's dress. The colour was perfect to compliment both our colourings; mine dark and Jenny's fair.

On the floor in front of the television Zoe was sitting cross-legged in her flower girl dress. It was a paler shade of pink and made of softer, shinier material than our dresses, although I could tell that they would go beautifully together in the photos.

"Mum's in panic mode." Jenny sighed, rolling her eyes. "She thought you and River weren't going to make it in time. She's been on the phone to Jack demanding that Torchwood tried to get in touch with you or the Doctor. Obviously no one was answering."

I sighed and grinned. "Is she upstairs?"

"Yep." Jenny nodded, popping the 'p'. "Nan's trying to calm her down."

I laughed and headed up the staircase. Donna's voice could easily be heard, snapping at her mother who tried to reassure her that everything would be fine. Knocking softly on Sylvia's bedroom door, I pushed it open and went inside.

"Evie!" Donna screeched, launching herself at me. "Where the bloody hell have you been?!"

Nan tutted at her daughter's language as she stood up and smoothed away the imaginary creases in her skirt. She smiled and pecked me on the cheek as she passed. "Is River here?"

I nodded. "She's downstairs with Gramps." I watched her leave, striding purposefully along the landing and down the stairs, smirking at the prospect of what Mum had coming. "You look beautiful, Donna."

She wafted her hands at me. "Oh, don't. Half decent is the best I could hope for. I look so fat!"

"Donna, you're seven months pregnant, but whatever." I shrugged, understanding that she was just being overdramatic. Picking up one of the hairpins from the dressing table, I took over pinning the remaining curls that had escaped from her up-do in place carefully. "You really do look gorgeous."

"Not half as gorgeous as my older sister, I expect." She said with a sly smile.

It took me a split second to realise what she was talking about and then I laughed. "Mum looks like a cheap slapper." I informed her with a shrug. "I think it's her attempt at rebelling against Nan. She'll have a fit when she sees her dress."

"What's she wearing?" Donna asked interestedly. I launched into a description as I finished her hair. "That doesn't sound too bad. You just have a problem with it because she's your mother."

"Maybe." I agreed with a shrug. "But she still looks awful."


	158. Something Old, Something New 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Something Old, Something New**

The service was beautiful. For once there wasn't a single problem and we stood in front of the altar, listening to the vicar speaking and Donna and Jack exchanging their vows. Sylvia was almost sobbing in the front pew, Wilf patting her arm and Mum looking slightly embarrassed beside her. I smirked as Dad glanced at me and grinned.

In the hotel that Jack had hired for the reception, Jenny and I made our way towards Mum and Dad, grinning at the expression on Mum's face as she spoke to the little old lady beside her. The woman appeared to be wearing a pair of curtains and had a pair of knitting needles poking out of the top of her handbag.

"Of course I remember you and your little sister playing in the back garden as children, River dear." She said, clutching onto Mum's arm. Mum shot me a look and I could barely conceal the amused grin that was spilling over my face. "Such a beautiful name; unusual, but beautiful. You were such a spirited child, just like Donna."

"Playing in the garden?" I muttered as the old lady shuffled away to speak to Sylvia, who was sending us curious looks across the room. "You were such a spirited child?"

"Yeah… she's obviously crazy." Mum shrugged, grabbing a champagne flute off the tray of a passing waiter and taking a long gulp.

"There was something about mini-skirts and boyfriends with motorbikes." Dad added, looking as though he was thoroughly enjoying the situation.

"Who even was that woman?" I asked, peering around the room. "I haven't got a clue who most of these people are."

"That was Wilf's second cousin Petunia from Truro." Dad informed me, waving at someone over my head. "She's a retired meteorologist."

"Brilliant." I muttered, taking a glass of champagne off the tray of another passing waiter. "Good for Petunia!"

"So? Have you seen Gwen yet?" Mum asked me, changing the subject. "Or Mickey and Martha? Apparently they've been looking for you both."

"Why?" Jenny asked, raising an eyebrow.

Mum shrugged, swapping her empty glass for a fresh one. "Go and ask them."

I watched her for a moment before turning to the Doctor. "Dad, please don't let her get drunk. I think Nan would have all our guts for garters if she embarrasses her."

"Oi! Who's 'she'? The cat's mother?"

I raised an eyebrow. "I'm no cat-person."

"No, you're not." Mum agreed, draining the champagne from her glass.

Jenny pulled me across the room, shaking her head as Dad tried to propel Mum towards the dance floor. We passed Donna chatting with several people I'd never seen before, laughing happily and resting one hand on her bump. She grinned and waved, shooting out an arm to drag Jenny over to her. As Jenny still had hold of my arm, I was pulled over as well.

"This is my daughter, Jenny, and my niece, Evie." Donna said happily, throwing an arm around each of us. "This is Anne-Marie, Claire, Adam, Paul and Stephen. I worked with them at Hassler Millets, you know, the law firm."

"Hi…" I muttered, smiling nervously and glancing sideways at Jenny.

"How can she be your daughter, Donna!" The brunette woman asked, looking astonished. "You don't look old enough to have a grown-up daughter!"

Donna laughed cheerfully. "It's a long story; a 24-year-old story, in fact!"

"Mum…" Jenny said in a low voice, glancing over her shoulder. "Gwen and Martha were looking for us."

"Alright, but make sure you aren't too long." She cautioned them, taking each of their chins in one hand and pulling their faces close enough to bestow a kiss on their cheeks.

"Laters, Auntie D!" I called as we hurried across the room, in search of the Torchwood Operatives.

We discovered the two women and Mickey with Jack in a quiet corner of the room. They went quiet as we approached, whirling round and fixing us with suspicious looks. On realising that it was Jenny and I standing in front of them, all four visibly relaxed and beckoned us forwards.

"What's going on?" Jenny asked. "Jack? What is it?"

"We've just had a message from Torchwood." Her step-father told her quickly, folding his arms over his chest. "Evie, the older Evie, just sent us a reading from the rift monitors. It seems that the spikes are going through the roof. Something big is happening."

"What can we do?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips.

"Nothing, Evie." Jack told me seriously, shaking his head.

"What?"

Gwen put a hand on my arm. "The older version of you is on the case, cariad. We can't have two Evie Songs in one place, can we? I don't think the universe would cope!"

I laughed and shrugged. "Fair enough. As long as there's one of me sorting out whatever's going on the Earth is safe."

"The Earth might be safe," Jenny muttered, nudging me in the ribs and pointing behind me, "but we're not if the look on Nan's face is anything to go by."

"Oh god… what's happened now?" Jack murmured, following the direction of our gaze.

Sylvia was storming across the room towards us, a scowl on her face which became clearer as she got closer. Over her shoulder I could see Mum and Dad dancing, her arms in the air as he twisted and shimmied across the floor.

I gulped and backed quickly towards the patio doors which led to the gardens. "Disaster under control or not, I'm out of here before I die of embarrassment or telling-off!"


	159. How Ood

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: How Ood**

Age: 17

Location: Leadworth, England, Earth

Date: July 2012

* * *

><p>I didn't even bother to knock on the back door before letting myself in and heading towards the living room. For once, the breakfast things appeared to have been washed up and put away before lunchtime. In fact, everything seemed to be neat and tidy and in its proper place.<p>

"Gran?" I called as I walked along the hallway. "Gramps? Can I borrow your–"

I stopped as, opening the living room door, I saw them sitting side by side on the sofa, looking a little uncomfortable.

"Ah! Evie!" Gramps exclaimed, jumping up and beaming at me. "What are you doing here?"

Raising an eyebrow I looked between him and Amy, wondering why they were acting so suspiciously. Then I realised that there was another figure in the room. For some reason there was an Ood, wearing a frilly apron and dusting round the photo frames and ornaments on the mantelpiece.

"I didn't know you'd got an Ood?" I said, dropping into the armchair and looking between my grandparents. "When did you get him?"

"He just… hang on! Don't you find this even a little bit weird?" Gramps asked, folding his arms and looking confused.

I shrugged. "No, not really. It's not like you've got a Sontaran mowing your lawn or one of the Slitheen decorating your spare bedroom. It's just an Ood."

"Yes, but he's dusting!"

"So what?"

Gramps looked as though I'd grown an extra head or two. "Don't tell me you agree with Ood Slavery?"

I laughed. "Of course not. But the Ood are bred to serve. If you let him act as your servant he'll be happy. Besides, Gran hates housework and so do you. It's a win-win situation."

"Told you it was fine." Gran said, grinning at Gramps and leaning over to poke him in the ribs.

Gramps looked far from convinced. "It's just… weird!"

"What's weird about it? This is far less weird than that button museum you took me to. Or that Hotel with the creepy rooms." I pointed out. "Anyway, how did he even get here?"

"Dunno…" Gran said with a shrug. "He just… appeared one morning."

"Appeared?"

"Yeah, we went into the bathroom and there he was."

"Just sitting on the toilet."

I snorted with laughter. "Sitting on your toilet? How… Ood…"

"Don't start, Evie!" Gran said, sternly. "Rory's been saying that everything's 'Ood' for days."

Glancing at me quickly, Gramps winked and I laughed again. When Gran had made us cups of tea and the Ood had headed off to start cleaning the windows – only the ones at the back of the house where he wouldn't be seen – I suddenly had a thought.

"Have you told Dad about your little guest?"

"Of course we have!" Gran replied, rolling her eyes as though this was the stupidest question she'd ever heard. "He said he'd come and pick him up."

"But that was last week." Gramps added.

Smirking, I shook my head. "Did something come up? Or is his timing just a little off, as usual?"

"Who knows?" Gran shrugged looking unimpressed. "It could easily be either option."

"But he was saying something about a power drain threatening to cause the TARDIS to implode."

I shrugged. "Fair enough. You can't blame him for being a couple of weeks late if he had that to deal with."

Gramps shook his head at my words, looking incredibly concerned. "I don't think I'll ever understand the way your mind works, Evie. I tell you your father might have been caught in an explosion–"

"Implosion." I corrected him with a grin.

"– and you just act as though I've said he's popped to the pub. You see an alien dusting in our living room and your only comment is 'it's just an Ood'."

"Gramps, I've seen and heard far weirder things than Dad saying the TARDIS is about to implode or an Ood doing housework." I reminded him calmly. "I think I'd be far more alarmed if Dad hadn't done something to the TARDIS or Mum was doing housework."

As Gran laughed at my words, Gramps rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "So, you wanted to borrow something?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was inspired by the Pond Life clips on the Doctor Who website. Go and check them out if you haven't already! 2 days until it's back… I am so excited! :D**_


	160. Terin's Cylinder 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Terin's Cylinder**

Age: 26

Location: Ealing, London, Earth

Date: September 2011

* * *

><p>I materialised on the pavement of Bannerman Road with my hand still on the Vortex Manipulator on my wrist. No sooner had the houses in front of me swum into focus when there was a crack of thunder, a flash of lightening and the heavens opened. Before I had reached the front door of the house I was planning on visiting, number 13, I was drenched.<p>

It seemed to be an age before anyone came to the door. Finally the sound of laughter drifted through from the other side of the door and a dark shadow appeared on the other side of the glass.

"Hey!" Clyde greeted me with a wide smile standing aside so that I could move inside and out of the torrential rain.

"Hi, Clyde. How's things?"

"Same as usual… defeating aliens, saving the world, History homework." He joked.

I laughed and slipped off my jacket, hanging it on one of the pegs in the hallway and poking my head round the living room door. Sarah Jane, Rani and Sky were lounging on the sofa watching something on the television, a bowl of popcorn balanced on the young girl's lap.

"Who was it, Clyde?" Sarah Jane shouted, not looking away from the television.

He glanced sideways at me and smirked. "No one important."

"Cheeky sod." I muttered fondly, nudging him with my shoulder as I passed. "Hey, Auntie Saz."

"Evie!" Sky exclaimed, turning and beaming at me. "You promised you'd come and see us!"

"I did?" I replied, raising an eyebrow. At the expression on Sky's face I nodded. "I did."

"So? To what do we owe this pleasure?" Sarah Jane asked, looking up from the sofa. I grinned at the curious expression on her face.

"Can't I just drop in every now and then?"

"No." Clyde said with a grin from his seat in the large arm chair in the corner. "You always have some ulterior motive for coming to visit."

Feeling as though this was some sort of criticism, I shrugged and motioned for Sky to budge up on the sofa so that I could squeeze in between her and her mother. Draping one arm over the younger girl's shoulders I leant back comfortably. "Well this time I've just popped in to visit."

Sarah Jane raised an eyebrow at me, evidently not believing my lie for a second, but smiled and returned her attention to the film they were watching. I recognised it after a couple of moments, having seen it several times on the big screen in the TARDIS. It was a comedy, but not a particularly good one, so I tuned out.

As soon as the film ended, Sarah Jane switched the television off and turned to me. "Come on then, what did you want to know?"

"I told you, I just popped over to spend some time with you."

She snorted cynically. "Come on…"

"Fine." I reached into my pocket and pulled out a cylindrical object. It looked like nothing more interesting than a length of pipe, about 30cm long with a radius of about 5cm. The only odd thing about it was the strange purple haze than hung around it and the readings it gave off. "I found this in a junk yard on Gweep."

"What was it doing there?" Sarah Jane asked, putting on her glasses and examining the object carefully.

"I dunno… what is it?"

"I can hazard a guess, but I'd like Mr Smith to do a couple of tests on it."

I shrugged and followed her up the stairs. "Be my guest. I just thought it was a bit odd."

The familiar fanfare sounded as Sarah Jane's super computer kicked into life with a blast of cold air and smoke. I rolled my eyes, wafting the jet of steam away and moving to perch on the edge of the table to the left.

"Mr Smith? Can you analyse this object. It was found on Gweep, but I doubt it's originally from there."

"Of course, Sarah Jane." The computer answered.

Waiting for the analysis to be returned on the glowing cylinder, I moved around the room, picking things up and examining them. As I'd expected, Sarah Jane followed me and extracted her artefacts from my hands, replacing them carefully. I grinned, knowing how much I must be annoying her by disturbing her space and carried on innocently. Finally she sighed and folded her arms.

"Must you?"

"Must I what, Auntie Saz?" I asked with a smile.

"Come in here and mess with my things. You know how delicate some of these objects are."

"Yeah, sorry…" I muttered, pulling a face and replacing the chunk of Trewlopian rock that I'd been turning over in my hands. Then I seated myself on the steps in front of Mr Smith and looked up at her. "So… how are things going round here? When did you see me last?"

Sarah Jane looked thoughtful for a moment. "Oh! Three weeks ago you popped round with… something to show me."

I glanced at her shrewdly for a moment, realising there was something she had held back. Then I dismissed it, knowing better than to probe for answers about my own possible future. Instead of asking more about it, I shrugged. "Cool."

"Very." Sarah Jane said with a smile. "So? What about you?"

"I.. it's been a while, Auntie Sarah, sorry…"

Sitting on the step and putting an arm around me, she smiled. "How long's a while?"

"Five months or something." I admitted guiltily.

Sarah Jane laughed. "That's not that long; especially for you! I thought you were going to say a year! Anyway, that doesn't matter now."

"How's Sky doing? Is she settling in OK?"

"Fine… she's adapted almost too well. You should see her bedroom; it's a pigsty."

I laughed and we both glanced up as Mr Smith announced he'd finished analysing the cylinder. Sarah Jane went over and picked it up, turning it over in her hands as the Xylok began to talk us through the results of his tests. I listened carefully as he spoke about dust particles he'd found clinging to the object, questioning him to make sure they weren't just traces picked up from something else.

"Elevated levels of nitrates peaking at the ninetieth sector... dipped levels of hetrates." Sarah Jane and I muttered at the same time. We glanced at each other and smirked.

"It's strange not being the only one around here who can interpret Mr Smith's readings." Sarah Jane said with a smile. "I've got used to being the only one while Luke's away at University."

"How's he doing?"

"Still loving it. I think it's the freedom and being smarter than everyone else more than anything!"

I laughed. "So? You said you could hazard a guess at what this is. Has Mr Smith made it clearer?"

Sarah Jane nodded grimly and held out the object towards me. "This, Evie, is Terin's Cylinder and it is very bad news."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Can I just say how AMAZING was tonight's episode of Doctor Who?! My heart was actually breaking for Amy and Rory, but I'm so glad they're back together! Also, I really want to know how they're going to introduce the new companion, seeing as Jenna-Louise Coleman was a DALEK! I'm thinking family member?**_

_**Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! I hope you're still enjoying this!**_


	161. Terin's Cylinder 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Terin's Cylinder**

"Terin's Cylinder?" I asked, raising an eyebrow and shrugging. "Never heard of it… what's it for?"

"It started as a legend." Sarah Jane explained slowly, glancing up as Rani, Clyde and Sky entered the attic. As the three teenagers settled themselves on the step to listen, I leant against the pillar and Sarah Jane paced the floor in front of us. "The legend of Terin, a great warrior on a planet at the far edges of the Universe."

"Which planet?" Sky asked interestedly.

"Queslon in the Jalfrynn Galaxy." Her mother continued, looking a little annoyed at the interruption. "Terin was a warrior who led the Queslons in a war against their nearest neighbours and greatest enemies, the Apogjans. It was said that this cylinder was their greatest weapon."

"So what does it do?" Clyde asked reaching forward to take the weapon from my hand. I moved slightly so that it was out of his reach and grinned. "It just looks like a bit of old pipe."

"That's glowing purple." Rani added.

Sarah Jane held out her hand and I passed the cylinder back to her. "When activated, the cylinder would release a series of chemicals that drew the Apogjans towards it. Terin and the Queslons would then ambush them. Eventually it led to the complete destruction of Apogja."

"So how are we in danger?" I asked narrowing my eyes. "This Terin guy was a legend, right? Besides, who would want to destroy Earth?" I glanced around and winced. "OK, the list is too long. I take that question back."

"How long has the cylinder been glowing, Evie?" Mr Smith cut in.

I turned to face the Xylok, furrowing my eyebrows slightly. There was always an accusatory undertone when the super computer spoke to me. "Since I found it. That's the reason it caught my attention."

"But was it this colour?"

I tilted my head slightly to one side, trying to make sense of the Xylok's question. "What?"

"Was the cylinder glowing this shade of purple when you first saw it?"

"No…" I admitted, both to myself and everyone else, after considering it for a moment. "It was sort of… lighter… on Gweep. But I don't know when it got darker, because it was in my pocket when I got here until I gave it to you, Auntie Sarah."

"And it was definitely this colour when I first saw it." The woman told the super computer, folding her arms.

"The deeper purple colouration of the cylinder is an indication that the chemical release is imminent." Mr Smith informed the group gathered in the attic room.

"What?" Clyde and Rani chorused.

"Chemical release?" Sky asked, wide-eyed.

"Imminent?" I muttered, feeling as though this was all my fault.

"How imminent?" Sarah Jane demanded. "How long do we have to stop this?"

"At this stage of the process, chemical release is difficult to predict, Sarah Jane. It could be anywhere from minutes to hours."

Glancing at the cylinder in Sarah Jane's hand, I suddenly had an idea. "I'll just take it somewhere deserted. I can use the Vortex Manipulator and find somewhere away from everyone."

"The device will not remain stable throughout an attempt to transport it. Any resonance shift in the special or temporal surroundings of the device at this point in its cycle will cause the defence mechanism to be triggered."

"Can you explain that for those of us who aren't fluent in technobabble?" Clyde asked, raising an eyebrow.

"He basically means that if I use the VM to transport the cylinder it'll blow up and I'm a goner." I sighed. "But as long as I get it away from here it's good, right? And I'll just–"

"There is no chance of regeneration, Evie." Mr Smith said firmly, cutting me off before I could say the word. "You would be killed in the middle of the Time Vortex."

Turning to look at Sarah Jane apologetically, I sighed deeply. "I'm really sorry, Auntie Sarah. I never imaged this would happen."

She shook her head. "It's not your fault."

"Of course it is!" I told her; almost annoyed that she was contradicting me in an attempt to make me feel better. "No one else brought that bloody thing here, did they?"

"This isn't helping." Sarah Jane pointed out calmly, resuming her pacing. "We need to think logically. This is a weapon that uses chemical signals to draw the intended targets to it. But we don't know who the intended targets are, let alone who sent it."

"No one sent it. I brought it here, remember."

Taking a look at the annoyed expression on my face, Sarah Jane didn't reply. Instead she took a breath and moved to a pile of files on her desk. Flipping through them quickly, she ignored the questions that were fired at her by the three teenagers who were still sitting on the step. I tried to ignore them too, brooding on the situation and my part in it.

"So you think someone wanted Evie to bring it here?"

"Who would do that?"

"Who could have done that?"

"Mum? How can we stop it?"

"Can we work out what the chemical signal would be?"

"Is there anything we can do, Sarah Jane?"

I took a breath, finding it difficult to block out the incessant chatter and concentrate. Maybe there was a way of disarming the device without setting it off. If we could work out the components of the chemical signal then perhaps there was a way of reversing the whole thing. While Clyde, Rani and Sky continued to bombard Sarah Jane with questions and she carried on flicking through the papers on her desk, I turned and picked up the cylinder from where Sarah Jane had left it on the small table beside the Jenx Puzzle Sphere.

"Mr Smith…" I muttered, keeping my voice low. "Can you initiate the release of the chemicals, but for no more than one hundredth of a second?"

"I can, Evie, but what would be the purpose? Are you intending to calculate the compounds and devise a counter?" The computer asked, sounding mildly amused.

"I was going to give it a try." I admitted defensively.

"There is no possibility of shutting down the process before it is completed."

"Damn…" I muttered, turning back to face the others. After a moment, I turned back again. "Alright, Mr Smith, we can't start the process and then stop it. But is there a way of containing the gas? If we trigger the chemical release and trap the gas in some sort of container–"

"She's got a point." Sarah Jane agreed, moving to stand beside me. A quick glance at her made me realise that we were both standing, arms folded and legs slightly apart, staring determinedly at the super computer. I smirked. "If we could contain the device then we could avert the crisis."

"I regret, Sarah Jane, that this would alert whoever sent the device to its location."

"And they'd come here." I nodded understanding what he was getting at.

"Precisely."


	162. Terin's Cylinder 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Terin's Cylinder**

"We can't just sit around and do nothing." I pointed out after a couple of moments. "Remember what Mr Smith said? The cylinder could activate anytime."

"But what are we going to do?" Clyde demanded.

We all looked at Sarah Jane, who shrugged. "Have you tried your father?"

"He's not answering his phone." I told her. "Surprise, surprise. But… Auntie Sarah… surely we have to just take the chance and activate the device. At least that way we won't be taken by surprise. We control when and where."

"But we don't know what we're dealing with."

I smiled slightly and turned back to Mr Smith, sudden inspiration hitting me. "Show me planets whose terrain contains high levels of compounds containing preblates. Right, now cross reference the nitrate and hetrate levels in the atmosphere."

"Oh…" Sarah Jane turned to look at me, her eyes wide. A broad smile spread over her face. "You clever, clever girl!"

I winked. "But that still leaves us with over 100 possible matches."

"No, but remember, we're looking for planets capable of supporting life forms with the intellectual capacity to work the cylinder."

"Of course!" I laughed. "So that rules out Ytrovore… Pexus… Lipstop…"

Slowly we ruled out planets, Mr Smith commenting every now and again. We cross-referenced against more readings and finally narrowed the planet of origin down to two options. We all knew that time was running out and before long the device would activate. Clyde, Rani and even Sky were watching Sarah Jane and I without any idea what to suggest.

"The problem is," I explained, turning to look at them, "the species on To and Meflur Ono are very different. We need to know exactly what we're dealing with."

"Towans are living calcium bipeds, like the–"

"Slitheen!" Clyde finished excitedly.

"Exactly." I agreed, nodding. "There's a strong genetic link between To and Raxacoricofallapatorius; a bit like between Earth and Sky's home planet – humans and Fleshkind, Towans and Raxacoricofallapatorians."

"So they can be defeated with vinegar."

I smiled. "In theory."

"And the others? The… Mefflo Uno ones?"

"Meflur Ono." I corrected. "The Onos are carbon-based life forms."

"Like us?" Rani asked.

I was trying not to get annoyed by the frequent interruptions. I supposed this must be how Dad felt when trying to give one of his many speeches. "Yep, just like us. Only they're all incredibly hot."

"Hot? Like… temperature?" Sky asked, looking confused.

I smirked and Clyde and Rani laughed. Sarah Jane rolled her eyes. "No, sweetie, I mean they're good-looking." I explained. "They combine their looks with heightened levels of pheromones to lull their targets into a false sense of security, before launching an attack."

"Which do you think it is?" Rani asked, looking between Sarah Jane and me.

Sarah Jane sighed. "Towans would be far simpler, but I have a sneaking suspicion that we might not be in luck."

"And what's the Onos weakness?"

"They haven't got one. Well, not like the Towans, at least. You can't just squirt vinegar at the Onos." Sarah Jane said with a smile.

"Think of them as humans. There isn't one set way of defeating them. Well, except explosives and a variety of guns, I suppose." I said with a grin. At the expression on Sarah Jane's face, I hastily looked away and cleared my throat. "Although, obviously violence isn't the answer. Most of the time."

"So what are we actually going to do?" Sky asked looking between us.

Taking control, Sarah Jane turned to the Xylok. "Mr Smith, I need you to contain the chemicals released by activating the cylinder."

"Very well, Sarah Jane."

Placing the device on the tray just inside the supercomputer, we waited as a shield descended and blocked the cloud of gases from escaping into the attic room. The gas was syphoned off through a vent, where Mr Smith compartmentalised each individual component in case they were needed later. With a beep and a flashing light, the glass barrier was raised and I grabbed the cylinder quickly.

"Outside, before our guests get here." Sarah Jane commanded.

Nodding, I ran out of the attic and down the stairs. Outside, I glanced along the road, wondering which way would be the least busy. The decision was made for me as Clyde and then Rani shot out of Sarah Jane's drive and headed right, vanishing round the corner. Within seconds I had caught up with them and then overtook them. Realising that I had no idea where I was going, I slowed down and let them catch up.

"How can you run so fast?" Clyde gasped as he moved level with me.

"Born running, mate." I laughed as he motioned for us to take a left. "Life with the Doctor involves a lot of running."

"You're not even out of breath!"

I laughed again as Rani pushed open a gate and I found myself staring at a large expanse of wasteland. She pulled out her mobile and phoned Sarah Jane, letting her and Sky know where we were.

With a surprised squeak, I dropped the cylinder. It had begun to vibrate; shaking so violently that I couldn't have held onto it if I'd tried. It was glowing such a deep shade of purple that it was almost black. I realised that this must mean that whoever had set me up to bring the cylinder to Earth was on their way.

"It's starting, guys…" I muttered, spreading my arms and forcing Rani and Clyde behind me and further away from the device.

Sarah Jane and Sky appeared just in time to see the beginning of the arrival. The air around the cylinder lying in the grass began to shimmer as figures began to materialise. Second by second they become more solid, until finally a dozen tall, ridiculously good-looking people stood in front of us. I gulped, my eyes widening as one of the figures moved forwards, smiling disarmingly at me.

"Hi, I'm Owsiz." He said, flipping his golden hair casually and broadening his grin even more. He held out a hand and without realising what I was doing, I shook it.

"Evie."

"Beautiful name for a beautiful woman." He said charmingly.

I could feel a giggle rising in my throat, but just about managed to supress it, reminding myself firmly of the situation we were in. I suspected that a slap around my face would have helped focus my mind but I decided against it, taking a deep breath instead. To my right I spotted, out of the corner of my eye, Rani waving at one of the figures and Clyde beaming at another. I didn't want to look to my left, hoping that Sky and Sarah Jane were more immune to the Onos pheromones.

"Right, that's lovely and all," I told him in as business-like a tone as I could manage, "but what the hell are you doing on Earth?"


	163. Terin's Cylinder 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Terin's Cylinder**

Owsiz smiled at me again and I could almost see the pheromones being excreted from him. The air around us was thick with them and I was slightly surprised that the others were still behind me. I wouldn't have been the slightest bit surprised if they'd rushed past and thrown themselves at the Onos.

"Our planet, Meflur Ono, is becoming too crowded." Owsiz explained in a silky voice. I had to battle to pay attention to what he was saying, rather than the way his mouth moved as he formed his words and the way the sun highlighted the different shades in his hair. "We need more space to expand."

I arched an eyebrow, unable to believe what he was saying. "Excuse me? You're planning on turning Earth into some kind of Meflur Ono overflow planet?"

"That doesn't sound too bad." Rani giggled beside me. I turned and fixed her with a hard glare. "What?"

"That's not going to happen, Owsiz, I'm sorry." I said taking a hesitant step forward. "If you really need more space, let me help you. I can try and help you find somewhere you can go, somewhere that's already deserted that you can colonise. But you can't just take an inhabited planet."

"It was not a request, Evie." The man said, smiling enchantingly.

"Really?" Sarah Jane demanded, suddenly coming to her senses beside me, much to my relief. "Well we'll see about that."

"What are you going to do?" The equally beautiful woman standing beside Owsiz asked, raising an eyebrow.

Sarah Jane blinked several times, losing her confidence at the ridiculously sexy voice of the woman who had challenged her. Glancing sideways at me, she sent me a small shrug and raised her own eyebrows. I sighed.

"If I reverse the teleport in the cylinder then I can send you back to Meflur Ono. But as I said, I am willing to help you find somewhere else if you let me." I repeated the offer, hoping that this time they would accept it. I couldn't deny that over the years I had learnt some things from Dad.

"There is no need to send us back, Evie." Owsiz said pleasantly. "We can live in harmony."

Blinking at the disarming smile that he sent me, almost blinded by the laughingly white teeth that were displayed, I tried to work out what my next move would be. "That's not going to happen."

"Oh, lighten up, Evie!" Rani giggled, nudging me in the side. Her gaze never left the face of the tall, dark haired young man who was smirking at her.

"Yeah, Evie, lighten up!" Clyde agreed. His gaze was fixed on the woman who'd spoken moments before. "What's the worst that can happen?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to face them, taking Rani's chin in one hand and Clyde's in the other, forcing their gazes to meet mine. "The worst that can happen is that the entire human race are subjected to constant blasts of high-level pheromones and spend their entire lives as slaves to the Onos. But, you know, that'll be fine, right?"

"Course…" Rani agreed, struggling to return her gaze to the young man who had caught her attention.

"Sounds great…" Clyde nodded, batting my hand away from his face.

Growling, I squeezed my eyes closed and took a very deep breath. Then I turned to face Sarah Jane and Sky, hoping that they weren't as badly affected by the pheromones as the other two. Sky looked, if anything, mildly confused by the whole situation, much to my relief. Sarah Jane, on the other hand, seemed to be battling against her natural reaction to the pheromones in the air as one of the gorgeous men opposite us was definitely giving her the eye.

"Sky, Auntie Sarah, please don't leave me on my own with this one." I begged.

"Why am I feeling all… fuzzy?" Sky asked, looking at me with furrowed eyebrows.

"Pheromones, sweetheart." I told her. "They're realising chemicals into the atmosphere to alter your perception of them. They're making you like them."

Sky nodded slowly, processing the information and relating it to how she was feeling. "Oh. Why do Mum, Rani and Clyde look all… dizzy?"

I followed her gaze and had to admit her description was very accurate. "The pheromones are affecting them more than us." I explained with a sigh. "We seem to have some sort of tolerance, although I admit yours seems higher than mine. Clyde and Rani's tolerance is lowest, because they're teenagers and that messes with you enough."

"So how can we stop them being… dizzy."

For a moment I considered her question. "We have to get them away from here but–" I tried to pull Rani away from the crowd of Onos, but she struggled and after a flailing arm smacked me in the face, I gave up. Grasping Sky's hand, I pulled her away from the group so we could plan without being overheard. "See, not as easy as it should be."

"Evie? Sky?" Sarah Jane muttered, shaking her head slightly. I was relieved to see the glazed look retreating from her eyes. "We need to sort this out, now."

"Right… we need to get close enough to the cylinder to reverse the teleportation feeds." I told them. "But I doubt Owsiz and his crew would be too pleased about that, so we need to get past them first."

"Leave that to me." Sarah Jane suggested with a glint in her eye. "You might need this…"

She held out her sonic lipstick and I took it, smirking as she made her way back over to the group of beautiful people. "OK, we'll go over and you grab the cylinder."

Sky nodded and looked at me nervously. I grabbed her hand and pulled her back towards Rani and Clyde. Both were completely distracted by the Onos, staring almost open-mouthed at the beautiful figures that were regarding them with amused expressions. As Sarah Jane approached, she began talking, drawing the Onos attention to her.

"She's talking rubbish!" Sky said in astonishment as soon as we were close enough to hear what her mother was saying.

"At least she's distracting them." I pointed out, winking at her.

As we got closer, I nodded at Sky, before turning my full attention to Owsiz. A quick examination of Clyde and Rani showed me that the pheromones had caused a glazed, slightly sleepy look to appear on their faces. Sarah Jane had a similar expression on hers, but I hoped that it was as fake as the one I now adopted.

At my approach, Owsiz turned and smiled broadly. "I was beginning to wonder where you'd gone, Evie."

"I was just cancelling a prior engagement." I told him with a small smirk. "This is far more interesting."

"Rani was telling us how you are older than you look?"

"Was she now?" I asked, turning to glare at the teenager and wondering what else she'd told them.

Owsiz chuckled. "I am glad. You are not much younger than myself. I was wondering."

"Were you now?" I laughed, winking at him.

"We must have given you quite a shock, appearing from nowhere."

"Can't say I was expecting it." I lied. "But it's not the weirdest thing I've seen by a long shot."

"Oh?" Owsiz looked interested by this information. "So what is?"

"The Lightening Skies of Cotter Palluni's World? A dancing eb-wolf on Flor? Jedward?" I told him, raising an eyebrow.

He narrowed his eyes slightly. The movement was almost non-existent, but I spotted it. "And how have you seen all these things?"

"I suppose you could call me a nomad. I like to move around and see new things. Always travelling, that's me; no fixed address."

"So why are you so concerned about us being on Earth?"

I smiled. "You never forget your home planet, do you, Owsiz? You're trying to save yours, just as I'm trying to save mine."


	164. Terin's Cylinder 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Terin's Cylinder**

The Ono seemed to be considering my words. I watched curiously as Owsiz's eyes flickered over my face, no doubt trying to read me. Looking away, something caught my attention and, out of the corner of my eye I spotted Sky bending quickly and picking up the cylinder from the ground. She glanced furtively at me, before turning and heading back towards the gates.

"Oh! Stupid phone!" I exclaimed suddenly, pushing a hand into my pocket and looking apologetic. "I'd better get this. There's no rest for the wicked, is there? Give me five minutes."

Smiling warmly at the Ono and laying a hand on his arm for a moment, I retreated to join Sky at the gates. As I turned I caught Sarah Jane's eye and she gave the smallest of nods. Instantly I heard her engaging Owsiz in conversation to distract him from what I was about to do and smiled, speeding up as I got closer to her daughter. Pulling the younger girl round the hedge and out of sight, I took the cylinder from her. Undoing the strap of the Vortex Manipulator, I pressed it hurriedly into Sky's hands before retrieving Sarah Jane's sonic lipstick from my pocket.

"I'll try and overwrite the controls, but we need to know the basecode." I muttered urgently, showing her which buttons to press. "Use the VM to scan for possible frequencies until we can work it out."

"There could be hundreds of possibilities!" Sky pointed out, starting to do as I'd commanded.

I glanced up, briefly halting in my task. As the sound of the sonic lipstick stopped it seemed eerily quiet. "I know, babe, but we haven't got a choice, alright? I'd say we've got four minutes before they get suspicious and maybe seven before your Mum can't stop them coming to look for us. This has to be done before then. As far as they're concerned they have to think that we just stumbled across the cylinder, but have no idea what it is or does. They might be aware that we have more knowledge than ordinary humans, but we have to keep them in the dark about just how much. So it's very important that we get this done before they come looking."

"Ok, Evie, I get it." Sky said, rolling her eyes.

I smirked, despite myself. "Don't you go getting an attitude on me, Miss Smith."

"Sorry…"

"Don't be." I contradicted myself distractedly, furrowing my eyebrows as the control panel suddenly pinged open and the wires and keypad were exposed to me. "Sometimes an attitude is all you've got."

I could tell that Sky wanted to ask what I meant, but I kept my attention focused on the control panel. Carefully pulling out the wires and replacing them in a different order caused the screen to blink for a couple of moments, before the digits began changing rapidly. Pressing the two buttons underneath the screen in a panic, I stopped the flashing numbers.

"8, 9, 1, 5." I read out, glancing up at Sky. "Ring any bells?"

She bent to look at the screen inside the device, before glancing back at the Vortex Manipulator and shaking her head. Then her eyes widened and she glanced up at me. Before I could ask what the matter was, she snatched the sonic lipstick from my grip and aimed it at my wrist-strap device.

"Oi!" I snapped. "If you mess that up…"

But Sky wasn't listening. She stopped sonicing the Vortex Manipulator and aimed the lipstick at the cylinder instead. As the familiar high-pitched sound was emitted from the small device, the numbers on the screen changed once more. A red light beside the display flashed once, before becoming green.

"You bloody genius!" I muttered, slightly stunned. Then I laughed and reached towards the girl, pulling her towards me and planting a kiss on her forehead. "Genius!"

After replacing the cover over the control panel and sonicing it back into position, I hastily stuffed the sonic lipstick out of sight down my top. Holding out my hand to Sky and pushed the cylinder into my pocket. Clutching the girl's hand tightly, we made our way back across the wasteland to where Sarah Jane seemed to be struggling to prevent Owsiz and the others heading in our direction.

"See! I told you they wouldn't be long." She said, sounding relieved.

"Sorry, it took longer than I thought to put off the Dquisian Ambassador to Stow." I told them lightly, rolling my eyes. "He's always badgering me to go out for drinks. Apparently there's this excellent little bar in the Retsolit District where–"

"You weren't talking to any ambassador, were you?" Owsiz asked suddenly, his head slightly on one side as he surveyed me.

I smiled and gave Sky's hand a reassuring squeeze. "No, I wasn't." Pulling out the cylinder, I held it up so that they could see. My tone grew harder and I tried to make my expression as cold as possible. "I was altering the coordinates of the teleport so that we could send you back home. I'm sure that I don't need to tell you that 'seeding' a Level 5 planet is prohibited by the Shadow Proclamation? And what you were trying to do here today was in direct contravention of Article 59; namely using chemical or biological methods to trick another species into forfeiting rights to their home planet. By breaking two of the laws of the Shadow Proclamation you're in big trouble." I smiled and took a step forward. "Now I like to think I'm a nice person, so I'll leave the choice up to you. Either you go now, teleport home and never come back to Earth, or I'll get on the phone to my friend the Shadow Architect."

Owsiz glared at me for a moment, before wordlessly grabbing the cylinder from my hand and activating it. I barely had time to pull Sky out of the way, while Sarah Jane dragged Rani and Clyde towards us, before the Onos began to vanish in the same shimmering cloud that had announced their arrival.

Only when they were gone could I breathe a sigh of relief. The two older teenagers glanced around, seemingly waking from a dream. Clyde frowned slightly and Rani shook her head. Both their mouths fell open as if they were about to start asking questions. Before they could do so, Sarah Jane threw an arm around each of them and began to propel them towards where her car was parked. Sky and I followed, swinging our joined hands between us.

"How did you know about all that Shadow Proclamation stuff?" Sarah Jane asked, handing me a mug of tea. Everything had been explained to a rather sheepish Rani and Clyde, before they had made their excuses and gone home. Sarah Jane, Sky and I had settled ourselves on the sofa.

"Dad made me learn it all when I was younger, just in case I got into trouble." I explained with a shrug. "It comes in handy every now and again."

"Do you really know the Shadow Architect?" Sky asked, evidently impressed.

I laughed and shook my head. "No. I met one once, on this planet called Felexis Nine. But that was years ago, over ten thousand years ago, so I expect there's a new one by now. I don't really know. I avoid them as much as possible. I'm not really one for authority figures; never stood a chance at school."

"Oi!" Sarah Jane laughed too, nudging me with her elbow. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't go leading my daughter astray, thank you very much!"

With a theatrical sigh I shrugged. "You're not the first to say that and I doubt you'll be the last."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was only supposed to be one or two parts, but it kinda just… went! I hope you enjoyed it, anyway! :D**_


	165. Equations

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Equations**

Age: 24

Location: Jepsoon City, Wexmar, Flohoon Cascade

Date: 156th Lunar Day of Baa't

* * *

><p>For once, I was sightseeing. There was no bad guy to track down, no crisis to be averted, no innocent to be rescued. Briefly I decided that the reason everything was so relaxed was that Dad was at the other end of the universe. With a grin, I strolled through the street market. Jepsoon City was one of the many places in the Flohoon Cascade that members of hundreds of different races gathered to trade and buy and sell their goods.<p>

"Interest you in new F'peol, Missy?" A tall, slobbering Grechin called as I passed her stall.

Pausing I looked at the strange devices quickly. They were large, polished metal spheres with spindly arms protruding from them in random formations. I had no idea what a F'peol did but I also had no intention of asking, knowing that I would be drawn into a conversation that would inevitably lead to me purchasing one of the strange objects. Politely I declined and moved away quickly to see what else was on offer.

"Fresh Nebble Berries!"

"Hand-made Colojo beads from the far reaches of the Edjo Forests!"

"Barley Bread from M'eem."

The shouts blended into one as I made my way through the marketplace. Crowds of children played around me as I walked, holding out their hands for change or food. Showing them the empty pockets of my jeans seemed to be enough to convince them that I had nothing to give and they scarpered away to find someone else to beg from.

Reaching the edge of the Market district, I paused, wondering whether to turn and head back the way I'd come, carry on exploring away from the hustle and bustle, or use the Vortex Manipulator to go somewhere else. The decision was made for me when I spotted a door flying open a little further along the street and a women sprinting away. She disappeared around a corner and, even after following quickly, I was unable to see where she'd gone.

Instead, I made my way towards the building, reaching for the laser blaster concealed inside my leather jacket. Holding it in front of me, I pushed the door open and headed cautiously into the building. It took a couple of moments for my eyes to adjust to the dimness but, when they did, I spotted a large object in the corner of the room.

As I crossed quickly towards it, two thuds behind me alerted me to the presence of someone else in the building. Turning, I saw two figures in suits approaching and faced them wearily. In my experience, people in suits were bad news.

"Time Agents Fexhood and Cartwright." The taller of the two figures, a male, barked at me. He strode towards where I was standing beside the suspicious object which was pulsing gently. The vibrations were making my legs tingle. "And you are?"

"Amy Noble." I lied, not trusting the man at all. As the second, smaller figure approached as well, I realised that I knew her. "Lucie?"

The girl's eyes narrowed at my words. "Have we met?"

At once I realised that this must be the first time she'd seen me and grinned to myself. Lucie knowing more than I did was something that I really didn't like. Now the tables were turned I was far more comfortable.

"I've met you." I replied with a shrug. "Never knew you were a Time Agent, though. You kept that one quiet."

"Miss Noble." Agent Fexhood cut in, apparently bored of the chatter. "What are you doing here?"

"Enjoying the sights."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously and I turned my back on him, crouching beside the large pulsing cube. Reaching out tentatively, I laid a hand on the warm surface, surprised that the metal wasn't cold. At the touch the vibrations increased, almost making my teeth chatter with its intensity.

"Get back!" Fexhood ordered, but I ignored him and shuffled closer, examining the cube.

A large panel on the side flipped open easily and I stared at the complex jumble of letters and numbers in confusion for a couple of moments. The TARDIS Matrix kicked in, rearranging the writing so that I understood it. Frowning, I rocked back on my heels and let out a low whistle.

"What?" Lucie asked, moving to my side and ignoring her colleague's grumble of annoyance.

"Look at these numbers… my guess would be that this is a bomb, programmed to detonate in… less than five minutes."

The girl looked at me quickly, instinctively looking to me for answers. "Any ideas on how to stop it?"

I shrugged. "I'd guess that these complex equations are the key to it… if we can crack the algorithm then we're sorted."

"And that means…?"

"No idea." I admitted. "It just sounded good."

She laughed and I grinned at her. Agent Fexhood cleared his throat. "Miss Noble, I must insist that you leave before we're forced to arrest you."

"What for?" Lucie and I chorused. She sounded confused, but I was trying not to laugh.

Obviously not having an answer, he strode towards the cube and started examining it closely. Clearly coming to the same conclusion as I had, that the key to stopping the device lay in solving the equations, he began trying to do just that. Quietly I did the same, wondering who would work it out first.

"Set the baseline to twelve and switch the third, ninth, eleventh and seventeenth wires clockwise." I ordered as the numbers counting down turned red. Jumping forwards I followed my own instructions, as no one else seemed to be moving.

"What are you doing?!" Fexhood yelled as I yanked out the wires and the countdown sped up.

"Amy!" Lucie cried, trying to stop me.

As her hand closed on my arm, I pushed her away roughly not noticing as she crashed to the floor with a thud. Jamming the wires back into the circuit board in their new locations, I held my breath watching the numbers whirring in a blur. As soon as the last wire was in place, the countdown froze. I took a deep, steadying breath and read the number, '2'. Any later and we'd all have been blown up.

Turning, I saw the girl on the ground behind me and leant to help her up. "Sorry…"

"Have you got any idea–" The male Time Agent demanded furiously.

"That I just saved your life?" I cut him off, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah… gonna say thanks?"

Wandering away, muttering into the Vortex Manipulator on his arm, Fexhood glared at me suspiciously over his shoulder. I rolled my eyes and turned to the girl who was still brushing herself down.

"I am sorry, Luce." I muttered, checking that she wasn't hurt. "You made me jump."

"It's alright… who are you?"

I tilted my head to one side and looked at her carefully. Situations like this were always complicated; whichever side of the spoiler you were on. I could easily say too much and drastically change both our timelines.

"My name isn't Amy Jones…" I told her slowly. "I'm Evie Song."

"Why did you lie?"

"I don't work well with authority. There's only one Time Agent I trust and he's not even a Time Agent anymore…" An idea suddenly struck me and I grinned. "Listen, if you ever get tired of taking orders from suits like that guy, go and visit Captain Harkness at Torchwood Three in Cardiff. Tell him I sent you and he'll see you right."

"Uhh… OK?" Lucie agreed, looking bemused.

I grinned, knowing that one day she would follow my advice. "I better go… leave you and your mate to take the credit for this. Catch you later, Agent Cartwright."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: What is this? A new chapter? :O**_

_**My only excuses are that things have been very busy for a while, my inspiration got sucked into a black hole and my brain refused to move onto anything else because I was writing another fic. I literally couldn't think of anything else. But that's done now so, FINGERS CROSSED, I'll be able to update SLIGHTLY more often!**_

_**But thank you for being patient!**_

_**Oh, and this chapter needs a special mention to 1945 who's birthday it is! Happy birthday doll!**_


	166. I Just Wanted a Necklace 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: I Just Wanted a Necklace**

Age: 54

Location: New York, America, Earth

Date: April 3rd 1938

* * *

><p>I had only intended on visiting Gran and Gramps to see if they would look after Jessica for a while. There was no specific reason other than that she was doing my head in; complaining about some concert she'd been forced to miss because, rather than being able to go with her friends, she'd been stuck at home with Nan and Granddad Wilf. I had tried to explain that she had been staying with them because the rest of us were off saving planets, but apparently the concert was far more important than that.<p>

So in an attempt to relieve myself of the constant sulking and bitching, Jessica and I headed to see Gran and Gramps. When we arrived, however, a familiar blue box was sitting on the lawn. Forgetting all about our dispute, Jessica grinned at me and ran ahead, banging on the equally blue front door and waiting for it to be opened.

"Pops!" She exclaimed as Dad opened it. He blinked in surprise a couple of times, before beaming and whirling her round in his arms.

"Hello, Poppet!"

"I've told you before; just because I call you Pops, doesn't mean you have to call me Poppet." The smart-mouthed fifteen-year-old reminded him, glancing over her shoulder at me before pushing past into the house. "Godzilla's grandma's just coming… she's getting a bit slow in her old age."

I rolled my eyes and hugged Dad, ignoring her words. "Hey, Dad. Didn't expect to see you here?"

"We're going to New York! Fancy a trip?" He enthused excitedly.

"Definitely! As long as it involves you taking me and that stash of money you keep hidden to Tiffany's. There's a gorgeous necklace I've got my eye on… white gold with diamonds and gemstones."

Dad looked at me suspiciously. "Which gemstones?"

"Pink tourmaline, iolite, yellow fire opal, orange fire opal, amethyst, neon tsavorite and yellow citrine." I recited quickly, having spent far too much time drooling over the necklace. "Not a single Tixhopla Opal in sight, I promise."

He shuddered at the mention of the blood red gemstone that had caused so much trouble for him a couple of years ago. His gift to Mum for her birthday hadn't been quite as successful as he'd hoped when the stone had caused her to lose her memory for several hours and he'd ended up with a black eye.

"How much is this necklace, then?" He asked, slinging an arm around my shoulders and walking me through the hall.

"Only £5, 425…" I muttered under my breath.

He stared open-mouth at me as I whirled away to greet my Grandparents. We didn't hang around for long; everyone was eager to get to New York. I was excited as I hadn't been there since I was eighteen and Mum and I had been tracking down the Silence. Just the thought of those creatures made me shudder and I was grateful that, even with Dad's track record, we here highly unlikely to meet anything worse this time around.

An hour or so later we found ourselves in Central Park. Dad was reading some kind of crime book, by the looks of it. Gran was reading a paper and Jessica and I were flicking lazily through glossy, celebrity filled magazines. Occasionally I would have to ask my daughter or my grandmother who a certain person was. They would laugh at me, but I'd remind them it wasn't easy to keep up with the celebrity world when you're popping between different decades on an almost daily basis. Gramps was just lying on the large, flat rock; apparently trying to sleep and pretending he wasn't with us.

"_New York growled at my window, but I was ready for it._" Dad suddenly read aloud, causing me to roll my eyes. I hated it when he felt the need for everyone to hear what he was reading. "_My stocking seams were straight, my lipstick was combat-ready and I was packing cleavage that could fell an ox at twenty feet…_"

"Oh, Pops?" Jessica complained, looking at him over the frames of her over-sized sunglasses. "Do you have to? I don't need to hear about your cleavage."

Dad blushed and flapped the book at her. "No, no, no… not mine! It's in the book! _I'm reading!_"

"_Aloud… please could you not?_" Gran asked, not raising her eyes from the New York Record in her hands.

He frowned and turned around from their position back-to-back, knocking her as he tried to look at her closely. Gran sighed with resignation that she was going to be unable to finish the article she was reading.

"_There's something different about you, isn't there?_"

"_What's the book?_" Gramps asked, trying to deflect the attention away from his wife and her new glasses, knowing she was sensitive about them.

"_Melody Malone; she's a private detective in old town New York._"

"Sounds thrilling…" Jessica muttered sarcastically.

"_She's got ice in her heart and a kiss on her lips and a… a vulnerable side she keeps well hidden._" Gran told him, equally sarcastically.

Dad turned round again, looking a little bemused. "_Oh… you've read it?_"

"_No, you read it. Aloud._" She reminded him. "_And then went 'Yowzah!'_"

"_Only you could fancy someone in a book._" Gramps said, raising himself to look at his son-in-law.

Jessica raised a hand. "Not true… Mum fancies Ron Weasley from Harry Potter."

"Shut up, you." I ordered, pointing my finger at her fiercely.

"Really?" Dad asked, looking a little concerned. Then he shook his head and turned back to Gramps. "_I'm just reading it. I just like the cover._"

Gran spun round interestedly. "_Oooh! Can we see the cover?_"

"_No, no… I'm busy! It's your hair._" He sniffed her hurriedly. "_Is it your hair?_"

She frowned at him, leaning back slightly. "_Oh, shut up. It's the glasses. I'm wearing reading glasses now… on my nose… see? There you go._"

"_I don't like them. They make your eyes look all liney._" He lifted the glasses and immediately a terrified look crossed his face. "_No, actually, sorry. They're fine… carry on…_"

Gramps shared the scared expression, slowly standing up. "_OK… I'm going to go and get us some more coffee. Who wants more coffee? Me too, I'll go!_"

"I'll come with you, Gramps." Jessica offered hastily, bolting after him as Gran fixed the pair of us with a hard look.

"_Rory? Do I have more noticeable lines on my eyes now?_"

"_Yes._" Dad replied tactlessly.

"_No!_" Her husband contradicted him.

"_You didn't look._"

"_I noticed them earlier… didn't notice them! I specifically remember NOT noticing them._"

"_You walk among fire pits, Centurion!_" She warned.

He grinned. "_Do I have to come over there?_"

"_Can if you like._"

"_Well, we have company._"

"_I'll get a babysitter._" Gran said as Gramps crouched down beside her.

"Old people kissing alert." Jessica muttered, sighing loudly and turning away. "So gross. Gramps… Gran… stop it!"

"Shut up, you." I ordered for the second time in less than ten minutes. "Just wait 'til you get a boyfriend and then they have my express permission to make as many comments as they like."

Jessica grinned. "Just because Ron Weasley's not real, mother."

"I said, shut up!"

Dad groaned, finally looking up from his book and spotting the kissing couple beside him. "_Oh, do you know, it is so humiliating when you do that._"

"_Coffee?_" Gramps asked, grinning.

"_Coffee._" His wife agreed with a nod.

I watched as Gramps made his way down the large rock we were sitting on and wrapped an arm around Jessica's shoulders as they headed off in search of coffee together. I smiled fondly as they disappeared through the park and out of sight, before rolling onto my stomach and watching Dad carefully. He was still submerged in his book, barely taking any noticed of Gran or me. After a moment, however, he glanced up.

"_Can I have a go?_" He asked, hooking Gran's glasses off her face and putting them on. "_Oh… actually that is much better. That is exciting!_"

Sighing, Gran turned away and lay down, discarding her paper or, rather, throwing it in my direction. "_Read to me._"

"_I thought you didn't like my reading aloud?_"

"_Shut up and read me a story._" She ordered. I grinned and settled myself down beside her. "_Just don't go 'Yowzah'!_"

He laughed and ripped out the last page of the book. Rolling my eyes, used to his hatred of the last page of books and endings in general, I tuned out for a moment as he explained his actions to Gran and placed the page in the picnic basket. I had a strong urge to reach in and read what was written on the piece of paper, but remembered the almost four hour lecture I'd received for doing just that with the last page of the last Harry Potter book. As far as I knew, Dad still hadn't read it.

"'_As I crossed the street, I saw the thin guy and the teenage girl, but they didn't see me.'_" He started to read from the book animatedly. As he spoke, he started walking, leaving Gran and I no choice but to follow. "_'I guess that's how it began… I followed the skinny guy and the teenage girl for two more blocks before they turned and I could ask exactly what they were doing here. They looked a little scared, so I gave them my best smile and my bluest eyes…_"

"_Beware the yowzah!_" Gran warned, running between both sides of the bridge to watch the stick she'd dropped into the water drift lazily along. I laughed from my perch on the wall beside Dad. "_Do not, at this point, yowz._"

"I should really tell Mum about this Melody Malone person." I pointed out with a smirk.

Dad rolled his eyes. Then his attention moved back to the book and he frowned slightly, sliding off the wall. Gran and I exchanged a look and moved to stand beside him. I tried to read over his shoulder, but he blocked my view.

"_Doctor?_" Gran asked anxiously. "_What did the skinny guy say?_"

"_He said, 'We just went to get coffees for the Doctor, Amy and Evie. Hello, River.'_"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello darlings! It's been far too long, I know. I'm sorry. This chapter is dedicated to every single one of you for being so patient! It's doubly dedicated to all of you who suggested that I write this chapter and those of you who actually nagged me to do it! :)**_


	167. I Just Wanted a Necklace 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: I Just Wanted a Necklace**

I grabbed the book off him to see for myself. A split-second later, it was torn out of my grasp by Gran, who obviously wanted to read the words too. Then it was back in Dad's possession as he gazed at us anxiously.

"Let's go. TARDIS." He commanded, not waiting for an answer before hurrying away.

Following him at once, we began demanding answers that we both knew he couldn't give. Dad was just as blind as we were on this one, but that wasn't doing much to reassure either of us at the moment. The light was beginning to fade as we darted through the New York traffic. All around us lights were glaring brightly; garish neon lights that, not long ago, I would have been delighted by. Now, however, with my Grandfather and my Daughter seemingly trapped in a book, they were giving me a headache.

"_What's River going in a book?_" Gran demanded. "_What's Rory doing in a book?_ What's Jess doing in a book?"

"_They went to get coffee; pay attention!_"

"_They went to get coffee and turned up in a book? How does that work?_"

"_I don't know!_" Dad snapped, striding towards his beloved blue police box. "_We're in New York!_" He paused, thoughtfully. "We ended up in a book once, Evie, remember?"

"That was slightly different, Dad." I reminded him, pushing past into the TARDIS. "We ended up being part of the story… along with some Slitheen. We weren't actually written into the novel."

Gran looked at me in confusion. "Eh?"

"Pride and Prejudice… Miss Bingley and Mr Collins turned out to be Slitheen in disguise. It's a long story… And a completely different situation, Dad."

"_Where did you get this book?_" Gran demanded as the Doctor started whirling around the console.

"_It was in my jacket._"

"_How did it get there?_"

"How does anything get there?" I asked, arching an eyebrow and folding my arms.

"Like Evie said; _how does anything get there?_" Dad repeated with a nod. "_I've given up asking. Date? Date? Does she mention a date? When is this happening?_"

Gran flicked through the book agitatedly. "_Yes, hang on… err… oh! April 3__rd__ 1938._" As Dad put the date into the console, Gran read on. "_'You didn't come here in the TARDIS, obviously.'_ I said, glancing sideways at him. Rory frowned, _'Why?' 'He couldn't have.'_"

"_Couldn't have?_" Dad demanded, popping up, seemingly from nowhere and peering over Gran's shoulder. "_What does she mean; couldn't have?_"

"'_This city's full of time distortions. I'd be impossible to land the TARDIS here.'_ I explained as the car drove us nearer our destination. _'Like trying to land a plane in a blizzard; even I couldn't do it.'_ I smirked."

"Even who couldn't do it?" Dad raged, scowling at the words Gran was reading from the paperback in her hands.

"_Don't you two fall out._" The red-head commanded. "_She's only in a book._"

Dad chuckled, as though determined to prove Mum wrong. "_1938; easy one!_"

As he attempted to send the TARDIS to the specified location, she wheezed loudly. There was a series of bangs and explosions accompanied by a shower of sparks and a violent listing to one side. Gran and I desperately clung on to the railings around the console as the TARDIS bucked and jolted dangerously.

"Apparently not so easy…" I muttered as the box righted itself and calmed down. Patting the console fondly, I glared at Dad. "Don't worry, old girl, he just hates being told he can't so something, as you know."

"_What was that?_" Gran demanded.

"_1938; we just bounced off it._"

"Gran… what does it say in the book?" I asked, moving to stand beside her as Dad hammered at the controls.

She scanned the page quickly. "Umm… Rory glanced sideways in confusion. _'So how did you get here?'_ I smiled enigmatically. _'Vortex Manipulator.'_ I showed them my wrist, twisting it to display the entirety of the device. _'Less bulky than a TARDIS – a motorbike through traffic.'_ Jessica leant forwards, staring at my wrist carefully. 'That's the VM 6-8E. I'm impressed; the latest model.'" Gran stopped reading to glance up at me. "Your daughter knows far too much about those things. I blame Jack."

I grinned. "Me too. Carry on…"

"I chuckled. 'It was old when I got it, honey. So, how did you get here?' Rory sighed, looking out of the window. _'I'm… not sure.'_ He admitted, glancing at Jessica. "Any ideas, Jess?" She shook her head."

"Well that's helpful!" Dad snapped sarcastically. As the TARDIS was now still and silence, he strode towards the doors, throwing them open. "And we are… in a graveyard?"

"Fabulous… you promised me Tiffany's and I'm in a cemetery." I muttered glancing around. The rows and rows of grey tombstones were broken up every now and then by the large Angel statues that were so common in graveyards. I looked at one carefully for a moment, before a realisation hit me. "Dad… Mum mentioned time distortions… the only things I know that can cause time distortions that are big enough to prevent the TARDIS landing are paradoxes and…"

"Weeping Angels…" Dad muttered, staring at me in understanding. "That would explain how Rory and Jess were transported without knowing about it."

"_The Weeping Angels?_" Gran repeated warily.

"_It makes sense._"

She glared at him. "_It makes what?_"

"_That's what happened to Rory_ and Jess. _That's what the Angels do; it's their preferred form of attack. They zap you back in time; let you live to death._"

"_Well, we've got a time machine, we can just go and get them._"

Messing around with a fire extinguisher, Dad glanced at her. "_Well… tried that, if you'd noticed and we are back where we started in 2012._"

"_We didn't start in a graveyard. Why are we here?_"

"_Don't know._" He admitted. "_Probably causally linked, somehow… doesn't matter. Extractor fans on!_"

"It might be the TARDIS's way of giving us a clue." I pointed out. "I never would have thought of the Weeping Angels if I hadn't spotted that one over there." As Dad and Gran both whirled around, I sighed. "I meant that Angel, not a Weeping Angel. Chill out…"

"_Well, we're going to get there somehow._" Gran muttered, returning her attention to the book. "_We're in the rest of the book._"

"_What?_" Dad demanded distractedly.

"_Page 43… you're gonna break something._"

"When doesn't he?" I muttered.

"_I'm what?_"

"'_Why do you have to break mine?' I asked the Doctor. He frowned and said, 'Because Amy read it in a book and now I have no choice.'_"

At precisely the same moment Dad and I leapt forwards. I plucked the book from Gran's hands, seconds before Dad pulled it from my grasp.

"_Stop!_" He commanded breathlessly. "_No, no, stop! You can't read ahead… you mustn't and you can't do that._"

"_But we've already been reading it._" She pointed out, confused at the strength of our reactions.

"_Just the stuff that's happening now… in parallel with us; that's as far as we go._"

"It's like… it's like creating a fixed point." I tried to explain, not entirely sure if I was thinking along the right lines. I glanced sideways and Dad nodded. "Once you know what's going to happen, it will."

"_But it could help us find Rory and Jess._"

"_And if you read ahead and find that they die?_" Dad asked.

I felt as though I'd been stabbed through the heart with an icicle. Cold numbness seemed to spread through me at an alarming rate. Sinking to sit beside Amy, I took a deep stuttering breath and tried to remind myself that Dad was just pointing out the worst case scenario.

"_This isn't any old future, Amy._" Dad continued, more gently. "_It's ours. Once we know what's coming, it's fixed. I'm going to break something because you told me that I'm going to do it. No choice now._"

"_Time can be rewritten._" She murmured, remembering words that had been said so long before.

"_Not once you've read it._" He turned and headed back to the TARDIS. We followed closely on his heels. "_Once we know what's coming, it's written in stone._"


	168. I Just Wanted a Necklace 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: I Just Wanted a Necklace**

"_OK… landing a plane in a timey-wimey blizzard… I could push through, but if I'm out by a nanosecond the engines will phase and I'll shatter the planet._" Dad muttered, more to himself than to us. We stood below him, watching as he twisted a wheel urgently. "_I need landing lights!_"

"_Landing lights?_"

"_Yes, I need a signal to lock on to. What did she say? Early what dynasty?_"

"In the book… Gran…" I muttered, leaning over her shoulder as she flicked through the pages hastily. "Early Qin."

He quickly set the controls before turning to me with a slightly disgusted look on his face. "The one time that stupid wrist teleporter of yours would come in handy you've sent it in for a service."

I rolled my eyes. "Jack's modifying the controls on my Vortex Manipulator. I thought you'd approve that he's making it safer."

"Yes well… it would have made this a whole lot simpler, wouldn't it?"

I shook my head as he hammered down the flight lever and sent us into the Vortex. As soon as the TARDIS quietened, Dad was out of the doors with Gran and I just behind him. We exchanged a confused look, as Dad frowned slightly. We appeared to be in China, not New York.

"_Ah… hello… yes…_" Dad muttered as a man turned to look at him suspiciously. He pulled out his psychic paper and flashed it quickly in the man's direction. "_Special commission from the Emperor!_"

After a slightly heated argument, quite a few broken pots and a mad dash through the market place in fear of our lives we slammed back into the TARDIS for another attempt at getting to the right place.

"What do we do now?" Gran demanded as Dad didn't seem to be making any attempt to move the TARDIS anywhere.

"We wait…" He muttered.

It wasn't a long wait. There was a beeping and a message flashed up on the scanner screen.

Glancing at each other, Gran and I groaned as we read it aloud. "Yowzah…"

"_Landing lights!_" Dad laughed, locking onto the signal. "We have a signal… locking on."

Again the TARDIS bucked and jolted violently, sending us sprawling around the console room. She still wasn't happy about being sent to 1938 but, apparently, with a signal to lock on to she was finding it slightly easier. After a long couple of minutes being thrown around like a ragdoll, I climbed to my feet and rubbed the side of my head where it had connected with the chair beside the controls.

"So? Did it work?" I demanded. "Are we in the right place this time?"

"_Come on!_" Gran ordered, pausing as Dad didn't move.

"_Just a moment, final checks…_"

Gran frowned. "_Since when?_"

As he proceeded to check his appearance, I rolled my eyes. "Oh for god's sake, Dad… all I want to know is if we're in the right place!"

"See for yourself." Dad suggested, slightly smugly.

Not needing further encouragement, I ran for the doors, bursting through them into an elaborately decorated hallway. I skidded slightly on the highly polished marble floor, crashing into an expensive looking table. Behind me, Gran headed up the staircase, calling for Gramps and Jessica. Dad paused beside the unconscious body of a rotund man, dressed in a smart pinstripe suit.

"Mum?" I shouted, almost angrily. "Jess? Gramps?"

"Over here, sweetie." I heard Mum replying and whirled around.

"What the…" I demanded.

She was standing with her wrist clamped in the hand of a Weeping Angel. I rushed to her side, keeping my gaze firmly on the statue and trying to release its grip on her. It was an impossible task, the stone firmly encasing her arm and showing no signs of weakening.

"_Sorry I'm late, honey._" Dad murmured, smiling at her from the hall. _"Traffic was hell._"

She chuckled throatily in response, before tilting her head slightly to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Hello, Evie. Has he been behaving himself?"

"Oh, you know Dad… like a bull in a China shop most of the time. Although in this case it was like a bull in a Chinese street market…" I told her, still attempting to free her from the Angel's grip. "Where's Jess?"

"She's with your Grandfather."

Still beside the man on the ground, Dad straightened up. "_Shock… He'll be fine._"

"_Not if I can get loose._" Mum promised forcefully.

As Dad joined us, I rolled my eyes, preparing myself for another round of flirtation. "_So where are we now, Doctor Song?_" He growled in her ear, making me pull a face and move out of his way. "_How's prison._"

"_Oh, I was pardoned ages ago… and it's Professor Song to you._"

"_Pardoned?_" He murmured.

I understood the sudden desperate look that appeared in his eyes, even if Mum didn't. It was almost twenty years ago now that I had persuaded Mum to take me on that expedition to The Library. Even if it hadn't happened for her, yet, I remembered it like it was yesterday. Distracting myself for a moment, re-tying my long, red curls in a messy ponytail, I turned away.

"_Mmm… turns out the person I killed never existed in the first place. Apparently there's no record of him._" She said with a slight smirk. "_It's almost as if someone's gone around deleting himself from every database in the universe._"

He tapped her nose before moving past and giving himself a chance to compose himself. "_You said I got too big._"

"_And now no one's ever heard of you. Didn't you used to be somebody?_"

"_Weren't you the woman who killed the Doctor?_"

"_Doctor Who?_"

I rolled my eyes. "As instructive as this flirting is, do you think we should get Mum free so that we can track down Gramps and Jess? There's plenty of time for… this… later."

Nodding, Dad used the screwdriver to assess the Angel. "She's holding you very tight."

"Duh…" I muttered, rolling my eyes again.

"_At least she didn't send me back in time._" Mum pointed out.

"_I doubt she's strong enough._"

"_Well, I need a hand back. So which is it going to be? Are you going to break my wrist or hers?_"

Dad and I looked at each other in horror, remembering the words Amy had read from the book earlier. Frowning, the Doctor examined the situation carefully, while I raised a hand to my forehead and thought. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Gran hovering in the doorway, a guilty expression on her face.

Mum groaned. "_Oh, no, really? Why do you have to break mine?_"

"_Because Amy read it in a book and now I have no choice._" He told her with a weak smile. Turning, he looked seriously at Gran, who seemed to be on the verge of tears. "_You see?_"

"_Well… what book?_"

"_Your book._" Dad pulled it out of his pocket and wafted it at her. "_Which you haven't written yet, so we can't read._"

She almost glared at him, not liking his tone. "_I see… I don't like the cover much._"

"He does." I informed her with a wry smile, still trying to think of another way of getting her arm free. "Apparently it's 'yowzah'."

"_But if River's gonna write that book, she'd make it useful, yeah?_" Gran pointed out.

"_Well I'll certainly try._" She agreed with a shrug. "_But we can't read ahead; it's too dangerous._"

"_I know, but there must be something we can look at?_"

"What? A page of handy hints?" Dad asked sarcastically. "_Previews? Spoiler free?_"

Gran thought for a moment, before smirking. "_Chapter titles._"

Dad was silent for a moment, pointing at her and thinking. He opened the book quickly and scanned the contents page quickly. "_They're in the cellar._"

"_Gimme!_" Amy demanded, holding out her hand and catching the sonic screwdriver that was thrown in her direction before turning and sprinting away.

I was in two minds whether to follow. I wanted to go to Jessica, to make sure she was alright. But Gran was perfectly capable of finding her way to the cellar on her own and at the moment I was worried about finding a way to free Mum without her having a broken wrist. The decision was made for me when Dad bounded across the room and pressed a kiss to Mum's cheek, before moving to the door.

But then he froze.

"_Doctor? Doctor, what is it? What's wrong? Tell me!_" Mum demanded, the colour draining from her face as he turned slowly, the book in his hands. "_Doctor! Doctor, what is it? Tell me!_"

I moved to stand beside him, recognising the expression on his face and plucking the paperback from his grip. My eyes scanned the contents list carefully, focusing on the final three chapters. Chapter 10… The Roman in the Cellar; Chapter 11… Death at Winter Quay; Chapter 12… Amelia's Last Farewell.

"_OK… I know that face. Calm down, talk to me._"

"_NO!_" He raged, smacking the furniture around him with the book he had ripped out of my hands.

"_Talk to me, Doctor!_" She tried again.

"_No!_" I simply stood and watched as he stormed from the room, before turning and coming back in. "_Get your wrist out. You get your wrist out without breaking it!_"

Mum looked at him, before glancing at me. "_How?_"

"_I don't know! Just do it; change the future!_"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you all for reading, sweeties! :D **_

_**Also, thanks to Snowy702, Anastasia Dove, Misery Loves Sarah, 1945 and therealjainasolo for your reviews!**_


	169. I Just Wanted a Necklace 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: I Just Wanted a Necklace**

We tried so hard to free Mum's wrist from the Angel's grip without breaking it. She could tell that I knew why it was so important, but I didn't tell her and she didn't press me. In the end we both realised that there was no choice but to do what had been inevitable from the start. I couldn't watch as she did it, moving away and covering my ears. I felt guilty, leaving her when she had to do something so horrible, so I returned to her side, hugging her tightly. I rested my head against her shoulder, my eyes clamped shut and facing away from her. There was a sickening crack and I felt Mum shudder in my arms, a low hiss escaping from her lips even as she tried to conceal it.

"Done…" She gasped, clutching her right wrist gently and wincing.

"Here, tie this round it." I ordered, creating a make-shift bandage from a length of fabric and binding it tightly around her arm. Mum hissed again and I apologised quickly.

"We keep this between us, Evie, alright?" She commanded. "Your father has to think we managed it without breaking my wrist."

I nodded, unconvinced that we would manage to fool him for long. With a smile, she stroked my cheek gently, before taking my right hand in her left and pulling me towards the door. As we reached the door, we heard Gran's voice in the hallway, thick with emotion.

"_So, is this what's going to happen? We just keep chasing them and they keep pulling them further back?_"

Mum fumbled with her computer, scanning the area quickly. She struggled with one hand, so I gently pulled it out of her grip and took over, causing her to smile gratefully. I held it where she could see the screen, allowing her to decipher the squiggles easily.

"_They aren't back in time._" Mum told them, her voice shaking slightly with the pain of her wrist as she emerged into the hall with me just behind. "_I'm reading a displacement, but there are no temporal markers. They've been moved in space, not in time and… it's not that far from here, by the look of it._"

"_You got out?_" Dad breathed happily.

Gran frowned. "_So where are they?_" She glared at me. "Why are you not more concerned?"

"Gran… I really am." I assured her, looking down at the computer screen in my hands. "But since when did worrying solve anything? We just need to work out where they are…"

"_Well come on, come on, come on!_" Dad ordered, pacing across the floor and Mum and I tried to decipher the location from the special markers. "_Where are they?_"

"Stop it!" I snapped, his nervous energy infuriating me. I could feel Mum trembling beside me and see the pain etching itself on her face.

"_If it was that easy, I'd get you to do it!_" She added, frowning at him.

Dad paused. "_How did you get your wrist out without breaking it?_"

"_You asked, I did. Problem?_"

He laughed excitedly, glancing at Gran who looked confused. "_You just changed the future!_"

"I'll change your face if you don't stop it!" I snapped, in frustration, glaring at the device. My daughter was missing and my mother had broken her own wrist and was keeping it quiet to please my father. I wasn't in the mood for his childish behaviour at the moment.

"Evie." Mum murmured warningly. I frowned but didn't say anything. "_It's called marriage, honey. Now hush, I'm working._"

She returned her attention to the device I was still holding out to her. I frowned at the images and symbols flickering on the screen, alternating and varying quickly. The spatial makers flickered for a moment, before fading completely and then reappearing more vividly.

"_She's good, her._" The Doctor muttered, moving to sit beside Gran on the stairs and grinning proudly at Mum. "_Oh! Have you noticed? Really, really good._"

"_Ah…_" Mum cut across his gushing as I pointed to a flashing red dot on the screen. "_Wherever it is, it's within a few blocks. There's a car out front… shall we steal it?_"

"No wonder my daughter runs wild." I muttered, smirking at her.

Mum winked. "No wonder mine does too."

"_Show me!_" Dad demanded, leaping at us.

As he rushed past, he grabbed her right hand, yanking her roughly to follow. Mum gasped loudly, breathing deeply and tears forming in her eyes as pain obviously blossomed from her broken wrist. Glaring at Dad, although I knew it wasn't really his fault, I raised her arm and stroked her hand gently. His eyes were fixed to her swollen limb, realisation appearing in his eyes. Mum looked terrified.

"Don't start." I warned him protectively, clamping an arm around my mother. "Just… don't start."

Wordlessly he moved past to just stare at Gran who had stood up and moved to the door, watching in confusion. I led Mum over to sit on the stairs that her mother had recently vacated, crouching in front of her and gently examining her wrist. It didn't seem as though Dad's rough grab had done much more damage, although it was tender and swollen enough as it was.

"Vortex Manipulator and Computer… thingy." He demanded gruffly, holding out his hand. I sighed and removed the device from Mum's wrist, holding it out to him along with the computer in my hand. Dad snatched them, before turning away and starting to fiddle with it. He moved to stand directly in front of his companion. "_OK… when all those numbers on both units go to zero that's when we've got a lock, OK? It's how we find Rory and Jess._"

"_Got it._" Gran nodded with a weak smile.

"Evie… go and help your Grandmother." Dad ordered.

"Not if you're going to–" I started, but Mum shook her head.

"Go on, sweetie."

Reluctantly, I did as I was told, moving to stand beside Gran. I took the Vortex Manipulator from her and allowed her to concentrate on the small computer alone. We compared the digits, waiting for them to all hit zero. I tried to block out my parents conversation, hearing the pain in Mum's voice as she spoke. Dad didn't understand what it was like for those he left behind. Although Mum and I were different from most, being able to travel the Universe independent of him and his TARDIS, we were still left behind. It was something that, however many times he returned and however many promises he made, couldn't be ignored or forgotten. Someday, sometime, somewhere there would be the day when he never came back.

I couldn't resist a grin twitching at my lips as a slapping sound reached my ears. I looked up to see Mum glaring at Dad while he pulled a face of hurt confusion, rubbing his cheek and pouting slightly. Gran looked sideways at me and winced, both of us knowing not to catch either of their eyes; Dad would try to appeal for us to do something and Mum would send us a death stare if we even dared to open our mouths.

"_That was a stupid waste of regeneration energy! Nothing is gained by you being a sentimental idiot!_" She snapped. "_Why do you think I wouldn't let Evie heal it?_"

"_River!_"

"_No! You embarrass me!_"

"_River!_" Dad tried again as Mum scrambled to her feet and headed hastily for the door.

Gran glanced at me and gave a sharp nod of her head. She handed me the computer, before moving to jab her finger angrily in Dad's chest. "_Tell you what… stick to the science part._"

As she followed Mum from the building, leaving Dad and I alone, he stamped his feet angrily. I rolled my eyes and growled.

"What?" He snapped.

"You!" I retorted. "Mum's right… you act like a child!"

"I do not."

"Dad, you do! You're so clever, but you are the thickest person I've ever met!"

He glared at me and stood up, folding his arms defensively. "What do you know?"

"Enough." I replied, more gently. "Dad… everyone tries to protect you. You protect countless planets and species from untold dangers but we spend our time protecting you. You don't like endings, but they're inevitable. What you saw in that book… Gran was right, time can be rewritten."

"No, it can't not Amy's, not River's and not yours."

"Mine?" I stumbled slightly over the word, wondering what he meant. Had he seen my death? Then I shook my head. "Why not? Yours death was supposed to be a fixed point, remember? That never stopped you."

"That was different, that was…"

"What? Because you're so special? You're the only one who can have time written around them?" I snapped, arching an eyebrow. "I promise you, Dad, things can always be changed, however fixed you might think they are. You just need a little faith."


	170. I Just Wanted a Necklace 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: I Just Wanted a Necklace**

All arguments were forgotten moments later when the devices in my hands locked onto the exact location we were looking for and we piled into the car waiting outside. As we sped towards Winter Quay, the title of the next chapter in Melody Malone's book ran through my mind; Death at Winter Quay. I shivered slightly, ignoring the concerned glance Gran sent me and smiled weakly.

Together we sprinted to the building, crashing through the doors and cramming into the lift. With two good arms, Mum had resumed control of her computer and was tracking Gramps and Jessica through the building. As we exited the lift, I shivered again, not really sure why.

"_Rory?_" Gran called, as loudly as she dared.

"_He's close._" Mum assured her, reaching out and squeezing my hand. "They both are."

"_Rory!_"

"Jess?"

We twisted through corridors until, finally, Gran turned into an open doorway and threw herself into her husband's arms. A millisecond behind her I pounced on my fifteen-year-old daughter, hugging her so tightly that she spluttered and tried to push me away.

"Get off you nutter." She muttered, although she kept a tight hold on my hand anyway.

"Are you alright, baby?" I demanded, checking her over.

Jessica rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

I was about to reply, when Dad barrelled into me from behind. "_Get out of here! Don't look at anything, don't touch…_"

"_Who's that?_" Gran demanded as we all turned to stare at an old man lying in a double bed. He seemed to be reaching out to us desperately.

"_Amy…_" He wheezed, his desperation growing. "_Amy, please…_"

As Gran moved forwards, taking the old man's hand in her own, I tightened my grip on Jessica. I glanced around at Mum, hoping she had answers. Instead I saw that she looked just as confused as I did. She moved forwards, coming to a stop on Jessica's other side and slipping her arm through the teenager's.

"What…?" I started, but I wasn't even sure how I wanted the sentence to end.

"_Rory…?_" Gran murmured, before turning to look over her shoulder at Gramps. "_He's you._"

With a final whispered, 'Amy', the old man died.

It took a couple of moments for anyone to be able to speak, but then Gramps spoke up. "_Will someone please tell me what's going on?_"

"_I'm sorry, Rory… but you just died._" Dad informed him.

"Death at Winter Quay." I murmured under my breath.

Dad glanced at me sharply. "_This place is policed by Angels. Every time you try to escape you get zapped back in time._"

"_So this place belongs to the Angels?_" Gran demanded, trying to get her head around what he was telling us. "_They built it?_"

"_Displacing someone back in time creates time energy and that is what the Angels feed on. But normally it's a one of… a hit-and-run. If they could keep hold of their victims, feed off their time energy over and over again, this place is a farm… a battery farm._"

"It's the Angel equivalent of an all you can eat buffet." Jessica added truthfully but unhelpfully.

"_How many Angels in New York?_" Dad asked.

"_It's like they've taken over every statue in the city._" Mum replied instantly.

"Every statue?" I asked warily.

She nodded grimly. "Every statue."

"_The Angels take Manhattan… because they can. Because they've never had a food source like this before. The city that never sleeps._"

There was a clanging, rumbling sound from outside. My hearts seemed to stop in my chest, before picking up the pace and beating twice as fast.

"_What was that?_" Gramps asked anxiously, bending slightly to look through the window.

"Every statue…" I muttered again, feeling sick.

"_I don't know…_" The Doctor admitted, gulping and looking at Gramps. "_But I think they're coming for you._"

"_What does that mean?_" He demanded. "_What is going to happen to me? What is physically going to happen?_"

Dad dropped into a chair and rubbed his hands wearily over his face. "_The Angels will come for you… they'll zap you back in time to this very spot 30, 40 years ago… and… you'll live out the rest of your life in that room until you die in that bed._"

"_And… will Amy be there?_"

"_No._"

"_How do you know?_" The red-head demanded at once.

"_Because he was so pleased to see you again._" Dad told her sadly.

"And what about Jess? Is that going to happen to her, too?" I demanded angrily, pushing my daughter towards Mum as I strode forwards. "Are you just going to let this happen?"

"I don't know, Evie! We haven't seen Jess's future self, but…" He admitted angrily. "I just don't know!"

"Sweetie…" Mum reached out to me, pulling me back. "Let him think."

There was a long pause, before Gramps broke the silence once more. "_OK… well, they haven't taken me yet. What if I just run? What if I just get the hell out of here? Then that never happens._"

"_It's already happened, Rory. You've just witnessed your own future._"

"_Doctor… he's right._" Mum murmured suddenly, furrowing her eyebrows deep in thought.

"_No, he isn't._"

"_If Rory got out, it would create a paradox._" Mum pointed out.

As the banging, crunching, rumble came closer and closer, Gran scowled. "_What is that?_"

"_This is the Angel's food source._" Mum continued, ignoring the interruption. "_The paradox poisons the well. It could kill them all. This whole place would literally un-happen._"

"_It would be almost impossible._"

Mum smirked and folded her arms determinedly. "_Loving the almost._"

The Doctor leapt from his chair, surging forwards. "_But to create a paradox like that takes almost imaginable power. What have we got? Eh? Tell me, come on. What?_"

"You and me and Jess for a start." I pointed out moving forward eagerly. "And Mum… the four of us together… surely between us we can do something?"

Dad looked unconvinced. Gran moved to Gramps' side, entwining their fingers and clutching his arm. "And _I won't let them take him. That's what we've got._"

"_Whatever that thing is, it's getting closer._" Gramps pointed out, moving to stand beside the Doctor at the window.

"_Rory… even if you got out, you'd have to keep running for the rest of your life. They would be chasing you forever._"

Gran smirked. "_Well then, better get started._" She opened the door and squeaked nervously, coming face-to-face with a Weeping Angel. "_Husband… run!_"

I glanced at Mum, who smiled and nodded, before grabbing Jessica by the hand and dragging her from the room. We ran through the corridors, making turns and finding ourselves in more corridors. Finally making our way to the staircase, we passed Gran and Gramps who were heading back up the way we'd come.

Gran's hand shot out and grabbed my arm. "Down is bad. Up is better."

Understanding that there must be Angels on the stairs below, I hastily changed course, pulling Jessica back up the stairs with me. We followed Gran and Gramps until we reached a fire exit which, presumably, led to the roof. Without discussion, Gramps kicked the door open and we burst through into the chilly night air. Gran slammed the door behind us as we tried to work out what to do.

"Oh god…" Jess murmured, gripping my hand so tightly I thought she was going to cut off the blood supply.

"What, baby?" I demanded.

Instead of answering, she just pointed ahead of us. My mouth fell open in horror as I spotted what she meant. Gramps turned slowly and stumbled backwards as he found himself level with a row of huge, stone teeth.

"Is that…? It can't be…" Gran whispered beside me.

"Every statue… that's what Mum said." I reminded her weakly. "Every statue is an Angel."

"_I always wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty…_" Gramps joked, trying to relieve the tension. "_I guess she got impatient._"

All of a sudden Gramps darted backwards. I wanted to turn and see what he was doing, but couldn't tear my eyes away from the giant Angel.

"_What?_" Gran demanded. "_What is it? What?_"

"_Just keep your eyes on that._"

"_Is there a way down?_"

"_Er… no…_" Gramps admitted slowly. Something about his tone set my nerves on edge.

"Gramps… what are you thinking?" I called out anxiously.

"_There's a way out._" He replied.

Beside me Gran tensed. "_What are you doing? Rory, what are you going?_" She turned, taking her eyes off the Angel. I wanted to copy her, but I couldn't, my gaze fixed to the ginormous statue. "_Rory… Stop it… you'll die._"

"_Yeah… twice… in the same building on the same night. Who else could do that?_"

"What?" Jessica breathed, horrified at her Great-Grandparents' words.

"Don't look away." I ordered the teenager. "Let Gran deal with this."

"_Just come down, please…_" Gran begged gently.

"_This is the right thing to do._" Her husband replied. I was having to force myself to remain motionless. I couldn't see what was happening, but I could guess. "_This will work. If I die now, it's a paradox, right? The paradox kills the Angels. Tell me I'm wrong. Go on, please, because I am really scared._" There was a long pause. "_Great… the one time you can't manage it…_"

There was a gasp and a slight groan from behind and it took all my willpower to stay where I was, looking at the statue.

"Evie…" Gran called desperately. "Will it work?"

I sighed. "I… probably." I admitted. "But Gramps… we'll think of something. We'll find another way."

"There is no other way, apart from a paradox."

"We'll find a way. We'll get back to the TARDIS and we'll…"

Gramps sighed. "But I'll still be alive and there will still be the potential for me to die in that room in that bed. There's no other way."

"Please…" I murmured, feeling the tears in my eyes burning and spilling down my cheeks.

"_Amy…_" Gramps said, his tone resigned. "_I'm gonna... need a little help here._"

"_Just stop it!_"

"_Just think it through… this will work, this will kill the Angels._" He said, sounding as though he was trying to convince himself as well as us.

"_It'll kill you too._"

"_Will it? River said this place would be erased from time… never existed. If this place never existed, what did I fall off?_"

"_You think you'll just come back to life?_"

"_When don't I?_" He asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "_And anyway, what else is there? Dying of old age downstairs? Never seeing you again? Amy, please, if you love me then trust me and push._"

There was such a long pause before Gran replied that I wondered whether she had. "_I can't._"

"_You have to!_"

"_Could you?_" She demanded. "_If it was me, could you do it?_"

"_To save you, I could do anything._" Gramps told her quietly.

"What's happening?" I demanded as there was another pause, much longer than the last one. "Gran, Gramps… please?"

"_Prove it._" Gran said at last, ignoring my question.

"_I can't take you too!_"

"_You said we'd come back to life._" She replied, calling his bluff. "_Money-where-your-mouth-is time._" As he tried to interject, she shushed him. "_Together or not at all._"

"Gran!" I shouted, suddenly terrified.

There was a scuffling sound and a thud and then Dad's furious voice met my ears. "_What the hell are you doing?_"

"_Changing the future._" Gran replied, totally calm. "_It's called marriage._"


	171. I Just Wanted a Necklace 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: I Just Wanted a Necklace**

As Dad called Gran's name, I couldn't fight the urge anymore and turned. I was just in time to see my Grandparents disappear over the edge of the building. Rooted to the spot, I pulled Jessica into my arms, stroking the back of her head and preventing her from looking at my parents who were leaning over the side of the building. I felt another pair of arms going round me and turned my head, burying my face in Mum's shoulder.

"It will work, won't it?" I almost whispered, terrified that I'd led Gran and Gramps to wrongly believe that it would.

Mum smiled weakly and shrugged. Her head snapped up as a crackle ripped through the air. A flash of blue caught my eye and I looked around, seeing something, almost like blue lightening, rip through the air.

"_Doctor…_" Mum murmured, looking towards Dad. He moved towards us as a bright light began to burn a little way away, taking her hand. "_What's happening?_"

"_The paradox… it's working!_" He exclaimed, grinning. "_The paradox is working!_"

I closed my eyes tightly as the light intensified, almost blinding me. Holding Jessica tighter against my chest with one hand, I felt Mum's fingers close around my other, keeping me close. A whirlwind whipped around us, a great crashing tidal wave of sound and pressure engulfing us for a couple of moments before it vanished. Calm settled over everything and I opened my eyes again, slowly.

We were back in the graveyard where I'd first thought about the Weeping Angels. The skies were blue, now, though and birds were singing. It was totally different. I pressed a kiss to Jessica's forehead, before letting her go and heading towards two figures lying on the ground.

"_Where are we?_" Gramps demanded, as he and Gran sat up abruptly, looking around in confusion.

"_Back where we started._" Dad told him, overjoyed at the realisation. "_You collapsed the timeline! The paradox worked! We all pinged back where we belong._"

Gramps still looked a little bemused. "_What? In a graveyard?_"

"_This happened last time._" Gran reminded us. "_Why always here?_"

"_Does it matter? We got lucky! We could have blown New York off the planet! I can't ever take the TARDIS back there… the timelines are too scrambled._"

"Oh, great," I joked, rolling my eyes, "any excuse not to buy me that necklace!"

"Stop fussing girl and look after this." He ordered, throwing me Mum's Vortex Manipulator from his pocket. He sighed, turning back to my Grandparents and pulling them both into a tight hug. "_I could have lost you both… Don't ever do that again!_"

"_What… what did we do?_" Gramps asked with a slight frown. "_We fixed it… we solved the problem._"

"_I was talking to myself._"

Dad planted a kiss on each of their heads before moving back towards the TARDIS, one arm flung loosely round Jessica's shoulder. I stood with Gran and Gramps, watching as he and Mum bickered like an old married couple, which they technically were, and started to clean up the TARDIS after her ordeal. Jessica pouted as Mum handed her a sponge and commanded her to help and I laughed, leaning against a gravestone and turning to face my Grandparents.

"You scared the hell out of me on that roof." I told them, arching an eyebrow. "If that hadn't worked…"

"It wouldn't have been your fault." Gran assured me, flinging an arm around my shoulders and kissing my forehead. "Rory asked your opinion and you told him. Our decision had nothing to do with you."

We walked slowly towards the TARDIS. Gran was on one side of me, swinging our joined hands between us, while Gramps was on the other, his arm around my shoulders. I smiled, remembering my childhood which, for them, was still in the future.

"_Doctor…_" Gramps called as we got close enough for a conversation. "_Look… next time could we just go to the pub?_"

"_I want to go to the pub right now._" Dad told him enthusiastically. "_Are there video games there? I love video games!_"

Mum grinned, picking up her bucket and squealing slightly as Jessica threw her sponge into it, splashing the water all over her grandmother. "_Right,_" she said, throwing an arm around the teenager's shoulders and kissing the side of her head affectionately, "_family outing, then!_"

"We'll have to find one with a beer garden, though." I pointed out. "The drinking age is still eighteen in 2012, right?"

"Yes, yes…" Dad muttered, rolling his eyes. "Is she always this boring about pubs?"

Gran laughed, moving to catch up with him. "Only since that incident on Ebstow. You know, when she got put in prison for taking Jess to the drinking house."

"Technically that wasn't my fault…" I reminded her, starting to follow them into the TARDIS. I glanced over my shoulder, noticing that Gramps had stopped. He seemed to be staring at a gravestone intently. "What've you found?"

"Look…" He pointed at the engraving as I reached his side. "_Amy… come and see this…_"

I frowned as I read the words. "In loving memory… Rory Arthur Williams… aged 82."

"_What?_" Gran shouted, leaning through the police box door.

"There's a gravestone here for someone with the same name as me!"

"_What?_" She repeated, grinning. She looked at me, her face falling slightly as she realised that I didn't share her amusement.

Her eyes widened and I swung round. A Weeping Angel was stretching out towards Gramps, its fingers a millimetre away from his back. I shrieked and pushed him out of its reach. In the split second that Amy and I were both watching him crash to the ground, the stone hand grasped my shoulder.

x-x

I blinked. Then I sat up and blinked again, looking around in confusion. It took a couple of moments for me to remember what had happened and realise where I must be. The room I was currently sitting on the floor of was identical to the one that Gramps had almost ended up spending the rest of his life in.

With a sigh I moved to the window, looking out at the dark New York Skyline, wondering whether this was all I'd see for the rest of my, almost endless, life. I could feed an army of Angels indefinitely.

Frowning, I shook my head and moved to the door. Wrenching it open, I glanced left and right, before heading along the corridor at a run. Turning the corner, I skidded to a halt, finding myself face-to-face with three of the moving statues. Groaning, I backed away, retreating along the corridor and into my room.

I threw myself down on the bed and exhaled loudly. Something dug into my hip and I wriggled uncomfortably. After a couple of moments I was still unable to stop whatever it was digging into my side sharply and rolled over, pulling myself into a seated position, and pushed my hand into the pocket of my long cardigan. A grin spread quickly over my face as I realised what it was.

Securing Mum's Vortex Manipulator round my wrist, I bashed it a couple of times, rolling my eyes. Every time Dad got his hands on one of the teleportation devices he somehow managed to mess around with the controls. This one was a little wonky, so I tried to compensate manually, but still wasn't entirely sure quite where I'd end up.

Pressing the button, I disappeared into the Vortex, emerging moments later in the TARDIS console room. Surprised, I looked around, impressed that the coordinates seemed to have stuck, rather than slipping and sending me somewhere else.

"Evie?" I turned quickly and grinned as Mum started walking towards me, almost as though she was looking at a ghost. "Honey… we thought…"

"Hey, no Weeping Angel's gonna get me." I told her with a grin, allowing myself to be wrapped up in her arms. I was almost knocked off my feet as Jessica sprinted towards us, barrelling into me. I laughed and hugged her tightly. "I'm fine, baby, I promise."

"You were gone nearly a week! We thought you weren't gonna get back!"

"You can blame your Grandfather for that." I told her with a grin, undoing the strap of the Vortex Manipulator and handing it to Mum. "He's managed to mess up the settings on there… again."

"But… how?" Gran asked, looking between me and Dad, who was staring at me contemplatively. "Surely the Angels will be after you now?"

Shaking my head I grinned. "No… the paradox still holds. I was never meant to end up there; it was Gramps, remember. I was just in the way."

Dad nodded and squeezed my shoulder as he passed to get to the console. "See, I told you she'd be fine. Now… I thought we were having a family outing to the pub? Can we actually go now that we're all here?"

"Sounds perfect." Mum agreed with a broad grin.


	172. After the Angels

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: After the Angels**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter is set in the middle of the last one – just after Evie is transported by the Angel. It's a short one from Jessica's POV to show what happened when Evie was gone :)**_

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><p>"<em>Doctor!<em>"

I heard Amy's shout from inside the TARDIS and turned to frown at Grandma in confusion. She blinked at me for a couple of moments, before Pops' sprint through the Console Room towards the doors and out of sight brought us to our senses and we raced after him.

Amy and Rory were standing side-by-side staring at an Angel, its arm outstretched and its finger pointing at them. I looked around quickly and realised that Mum was nowhere to be seen. Realising that something bad must have happened for her to just have vanished, I took a couple of steps forwards, before Grandma's hand closed on my arm, keeping me at her side.

"_Where the hell did that come from?_" She demanded motioning towards the Angel.

Pops scanned it quickly with the screwdriver. "_It's a survivor… very weak, but keep your eyes on it._"

"Where's Mum?" I demanded. "Pops… where is she? Gran? Gramps?"

Amy turned to look at me slowly, her face pale. "She… the Angel… it got Evie. It was coming for Rory, but she pushed him out of the way and it got her instead."

Beside me Grandma's knees seemed to go weak and she stumbled slightly, leaning into me for support. I clung to her tightly, unable to look away from Amy's face. I watched as Pops moved cautiously closer to the statue, moving round so he could read the writing on the gravestone, his face tense. As his eyes moved over it, he breathed a low sigh of relief.

"It's blank." He informed us, looking up and smiling weakly. "There's no writing on the gravestone."

"What does that mean?" Rory asked shakily. "Is she still alive?"

"Of course she's still alive." Pops scoffed, rolling his eyes and peering at Rory as though he'd asked the stupidest question he'd ever heard. "She's my daughter, isn't she? Besides the paradox is still in place because you, Mr Pond, are still here. Evie was never supposed to end up in that place, so she won't overwrite the paradox, meaning she'll soon figure a way out and be back here before you can say hyperspatialtemporalproximit yparadox."

I glanced sideways at Grandma, who shook her head slightly and squeezed my shoulder reassuringly. "He might be an idiot most of the time, but if he's not worried…"

"I'm still scared, Grandma." I told her in a quiet voice.

She smiled. "Me too, sweetie."

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><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you guys for reading this! And special thanks to therealjainasolo, Anastasia Dove, Snowy702 and 1945 for your reviews :D Of course they were all going to be alright! I couldn't bring myself to kill off Rory and Amy!**_

_**Two chapters in 2 days? I know! The reason is that I'm borrowing a social life for a couple of days... don't worry, it'll be returned to its rightful owner by Wednesday and I'll be back in hermit mode with 2 gerbils and 3 goldfish for company once more! :P**_

**_Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)_**

**_B x_**


	173. Badgers

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Badgers**

Age: 14

Location: Kingdom of Naa'al, Trel'r

Date: 51st Decade of Loom

* * *

><p>"I'll race you!" I shouted, jogging to the TARDIS doors.<p>

There was an indignant snort from behind me, which I identified as Mum's reaction, but the sound of the Doctor's feet on the grating told me that he had accepted the challenge and was racing after me. I grinned and sped up, slamming into the wooden doors seconds before the Doctor.

"You cheated!" He sulked, folding his arms and leaning against the doors as we waited for Mum to catch us up.

"I did not. You're just a bad loser!"

Before he could answer, Mum appeared in the console room, rolling her eyes and striding towards us. The Doctor and I both spotted the gun at her hip at the same moment. He sighed loudly and I grinned even more broadly.

"You do not need that, River."

She arched an eyebrow. "Do I ever tell you that you don't need the sonic screwdriver or the psychic paper?"

"Well, no…"

"Exactly, so don't tell me what I do and do not need, alright, sweetie?"

Speechless, he watched as she stalked past him and out of the TARDIS. Raising my eyebrows and sticking out my tongue, I darted past him and out before he could say anything.

We were, according to the Doctor, on a planet called Trel'r and, more specifically, in the Kingdom of Naa'al. He had told me about the great palaces of the Kings and the Temples built to their gods. The Doctor had also lectured me on the vast cultural variations in the different sectors of the city; from the highly educated inhabitants of the Hexfar Sector to the skilled craftsmen and women of the Yipspel Sector and the green fingered Naalans of the Pidford Sector. He sang the praises of the great domes and spires and towers of the capital city.

With all that in mind, I was wondering why we were in the middle of a forest; a very dense, dark, damp forest.

"Where are we, Doctor?" I demanded, glancing around and raising an eyebrow. "You promised me a city, not more countryside. We always seem to be running around in forests and fields these days. Can't we ever go anywhere with decent shops?"

Mum rolled her eyes. "Teenagers…"

"You know the TARDIS, she always takes us where we need to be." He replied with a shrug.

"That's just your excuse when you get the flight paths wrong." I reminded him, frowning.

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is!"

Mum, clearly not intending to stand around listening to another argument which, after a while I would get bored of and abandon, leaving the Doctor desperately trying to justify my sudden silence as a victory to him, headed off through the trees along a well-trodden path. With a shrug and a self-satisfied smirk, I turned and followed her. As predicted, the Doctor began gloating about winning the argument, forcing me to point out that I was only fourteen and he was a fully grown man; physically if not mentally.

The winding path led us deeper and deeper into the forest. Eventually, the trees opened out and we emerged into a large clearing. At one end was a pool of water; the surface perfectly still and mirror-like.

"What are they?" I demanded in a hushed voice, pointing at several creatures dotted about around the water, drinking from the lake.

"They're called badgers, Evie." The Doctor told me as though I was stupid.

I frowned. "Like… actual badgers? Like on Earth?"

"Yeah… badgers!"

"I don't get it." I admitted. "You said there were creatures here that I couldn't even imagine; four legged mammals with feathers rather than fur and webbed feet, reptiles that grow to the size of a horse with the wings of an eagle, sky creatures with scales that breathe through gills. But that's just a badger; a boring old black and white badger."

He shook his head seriously. "There's nothing boring about a badger, Evie."

Shrugging, I took several steps closer to the creatures, wondering whether there was something extraordinary about the animals that would become evident the closer I got to them. But, just a few meters away, it was evident that they were plain, rather boring, badgers.

"Good evening." The one closest to me said causing me to stumble backwards in shock, tripping over a thick log and landing in a heap on the muddy ground. "Can I help you?"

"Ah!" The Doctor bounded forwards as the animal stood on its two back legs and surveyed me with what could only be described as amusement. I had never, in a trillion years, expected to think of a badger as being amused. "Hello! I'm the Doctor, that's River and that… the rude one on the ground… is Evie."

"Charming to meet your acquaintance, Doctor." The badger told him, holding out a stubby arm and allowing the Time Lord to shake his paw. The Doctor looked beside himself with delight. "My name is Fenrick." He turned to the other badgers who had been drinking at the lake, pointing to each in turn. "These are my brothers; Galfridus, Iuo, Randulf, Willelmo, Thoma and Odo."

"Hello!"

Mum chuckled quietly as she pulled me to my feet and watched me dust myself off, scowling. I watched the badgers moving a little way off and speaking to the Doctor, who grew more and more animated. Suspiciously I tried to move closer to hear what they were talking about, but the conversation stopped abruptly and all the badgers turned to stare at me. The Doctor frowned and ushered me away, much to my annoyance.

After a long time, during which Mum wandered away and left me to sit and contemplate my fingernails for ages, the Doctor made his way back over to the tree stump I was perched on. Glancing past him, I realised that the badgers had vanished into the trees.

"So, what did Trufflehunter want?" I asked, slightly sulkily.

He stared at me as though I'd gone mad. "Who?"

"Trufflehunter? You know, like the badger in _Prince Caspian_… you know, _Narnia_? The books by C. S. Lewis? Honestly… are you getting senile or something?" I asked. "You were the one who said I had to read it."

"Oh, yeah, right…" He shrugged. "They were telling me about the Great Convention. Where's your mother?"

"The Great Convention? What's that?"

"It's a gathering of all the creatures who live in the Naalan Forests. It sounds fascinating." The Doctor informed me glancing around. "I think we should come back and witness it next year… or maybe the year after. River?"

"She wandered off ages ago." I told him with a shrug. "That way."

"Oh, she would." He complained, grabbing my hand and pulling me in the vague direction I'd indicated. I rolled my eyes and followed him, still complaining about the lack of shops and the fact that my jeans were now covered in mud. "According to Fenrick the great rains are coming, so we'd better get back to the TARDIS. I've only just dried out since that business with the ferry."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written from a prompt by **__**DoctorWhoGal; Would love it if Evie, The Doctor and River could go to Narnia or a Narnian type planet. That would be amazing :D**_

_**It sort of also goes with therealjainasolo's prompt; the Doctor and Evie get stranded together or an adventure with some father daughter bonding.**_

_**I know it's not Narnia and it's short and a bit pointless and there's more bickering than bonding, but I hope you liked it anyway! :) **_


	174. Chaxbuor Plant

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Chaxbuor Plant**

Age: 19

Location: Juxpilaw, Upsilom, Frenchoon Galaxy

Date: 30.1 XZ

* * *

><p>"You are selfish, Evie. Everything is always about you. You don't want to go to the Blood Caves on Hentifrac because the humidity will wreck your hair. You refuse to go for dinner at that restaurant on Astor because you don't like the smell of Wxa Flowers." Mum shouted.<p>

I blinked, my mouth opening and closing several times in surprise, wondering where this sudden outburst had come from. We had been walking through the Palace Gardens of the Prince Epsteem of Juxpilaw when all of a sudden Mum had stopped and rounded on me furiously. Her eyes flashed with anger and she jabbed a finger towards me threateningly. Glancing at the Time Lord for reassurance that I hadn't inadvertently said or done anything to cause such a reaction, I saw that he was looking at her in just as much bewilderment as I was.

"River..." The Doctor cautioned in a low voice.

"No, Doctor. I am fed up of it. She needs constant positive reinforcement or she'll sulk for days on end. I am so tired of telling her how wonderful she is and how clever she is and how beautiful she is. It's exhausting!"

The Doctor no longer appeared to be listening. He was staring thoughtfully at the plant growing through the wall above Mum's head. I, on the other hand, couldn't stop myself listening. I took a deep breath, feeling it catch in my throat and causing my entire body to judder.

"Oh, here we go!" Mum jeered. "She's going to turn on the waterworks. Everyone has to feel sorry for Evie because her bitch of a mother has made her cry. Well what about all the times you've made me cry? No one was very sympathetic then. Apparently that's the problem with being a parent. You are always in the wrong."

"River, I really think you should move away from that plant." The Doctor told her gently.

"What? Why?" She snapped. "Don't tell me what to do."

"Mum, seriously… what's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me?" Mum laughed sarcastically. "I am so bored of getting you out of trouble! And you seriously thought you were capable of looking after those kids?"

I frowned, glancing at the Doctor who had made a strange, squeaking noise in his throat and stepped forwards abruptly. "Kids? What kids?"

"River… move, now." He ordered. "Move right now before you say something you'll regret."

When she made no signs of moving, he grabbed her arm and pulled her along the path. She frowned, shaking her head and blinking several times. Totally confused, she glanced between the Doctor and me, opening her mouth as though she was about to say something, before closing it again. A blush crept over her cheeks and she looked thoroughly ashamed of herself.

"Evie… I…"

"That is the Chaxbuor Plant." The Doctor informed us, holding up one of the flowers he'd picked off the plant that had been dangling over the wall above Mum's head as she had verbally laid into me. "See the little orange flowers? They release spores which cause anyone inhaling them to become angry and basically... ahhh..." He broke off, rubbing his neck and trying to work out how to finish his explanation of the plant's effects.

"Basically become a right cow?" I suggested, arching an eyebrow.

"Basically, yeah." He agreed.

Mum blushed an even deeper shade of red. "Oh..."

"I don't sulk." I told her firmly, turning and starting to walk slowly away along the path. "That's the Doctor's job."

"Me? Me?! I don't sulk!"

I grinned. "You do, Doctor." When he didn't reply, but started grumbling, I turned to face him and Mum. She was still looking incredibly embarrassed about her outburst. "So… are there any plants around here that will make me forget what Mum really thinks about me?"

"I didn't… It wasn't… I don't..." She started, trailing off as I laughed.

"Calm down; I was joking!" I told her, skipping over and pressing my lips to her forehead. Then I remembered what she'd said just before the Doctor pulled her away from the Chaxbuor Plant. "What did you mean I thought I was capable of looking after kids? What kids? I don't know any kids?" There was a pause as Mum and the Doctor exchanged a look. "What?"

"Spoilers, sweetie." Mum replied with a falsely bright grin. "You know I can't tell you about your future…"

Frowning, I stared at her for a couple of moments. There was something not right about her expression and the way she and the Doctor were avoiding each other's eyes, not to mention looking anywhere but at me. I argued with myself for a moment, wondering whether to push the point. Then I decided against it, realising that it would just make matters worse. With a shrug I turned away.

"Fine… wasn't there a tea room around here somewhere?"

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><p><em><strong>AN: Another short chapter… I really am sorry! I'm trying my best, but my inspiration seems to have deserted me at the moment! I promise I'll keep trying! **_


	175. Denial 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Denial**

Age: 21

Location: UNIT Base, Mount Snowdon, Wales, Earth

Date: 2010 AD

* * *

><p>"Gwen! You take that road, Evie on your left!" Jack commanded, already setting off in the opposite direction at a sprint.<p>

I nodded and sped away down the street he had indicated, the huge gun I'd been given before we left the Hub slowing me down considerably. Rounding a corner, I came face to face not with the Weevil I'd been half-expecting to leap at me, but a slim, pretty Asian woman dressed in a red beret and military uniform. Instantly I recognised her as part of UNIT and, not holding the taskforce in as much contempt as certain members of my family, I was more confused and intrigued at their presence than angry.

Looking the woman up and down slowly, I tilted my head to one side. "Yo…" I muttered, not wanting to say anything until I knew what was going on.

"Evie Song? _My name is Colonel Tia Karim, representing the Unified Intelligence Taskforce._" She replied, her face completely devoid of emotion.

"Yeah? What d'you want?"

"_I'm very sorry but it is my solemn duty to inform you that_ your father_, the Doctor, is dead._"

I snorted with laughter, unable to take her seriously. "Right? Course he is."

The woman looked a little confused by my reaction. "_I'm afraid that this isn't a joke, Miss Song. Last Sunday at 1700 hours the body of a Time Lord was returned to the Earth. Scientists have checked the DNA results and it's definitely him._"

"He can't be dead." I replied, much more calmly than I felt. I had only just started getting my head around the idea that the Doctor was my father. He had only dropped me off with Jack after a trip to Borvillia Twelve with Mum and Jenny the day before. We'd just started to feel like a proper family. He couldn't be dead. "He just… he can't be."

"We have been unable to track down your mother, Doctor River Song." Colonel Karim continued. "Do you have any idea where she might be?"

I shook my head distractedly and chewed my bottom lip. "She's on an expedition somewhere. She'll be out of communication until she's collected everything she needs. I have no idea where she is."

"It has been decided that _UNIT will take charge of the funeral in conjunction with the Shansheeth. We'll be using UNIT Base Five, situated inside Mount Snowdon. We can arrange transport and accommodation for you._ Sarah Jane Smith, Clyde Langer and Rani Chandra are already being transported North for the ceremony."

"Of course I'll come. I need to see for myself that he's dead before I even begin to contemplate believing it. But I can't just leave. I need to speak to Jack and Gwen and…"

"Members of UNIT are already on their way to the Torchwood Three Institute to inform Captain Harkness of your whereabouts. They will also pick up anything you need for your stay while they're there."

I frowned. "Well I need to take this back, anyway." I told her, indicating the gun I was still clutching. "It's Torchwood issue… Jack would kill me if your lot got their hands on it."

Colonel Karim smiled. "I can assure you, Miss Song, your personal possessions are quite safe."

"Fine." I sighed, striding towards the UNIT vehicle. "But I want to know exactly what you know and what's happened. I'm still not convinced."

"_The Doctor was found 10,000 light years away by a race called the Shansheeth._"

I frowned, struggling to access the information stored away in my brain. "I've heard of them… they're like… Galactic Undertakers, aren't they? Aren't they literally vultures?"

Colonel Karim nodded. "Yes, and as such _they sent us this…_" She held something out in my direction, waiting for me to take hold of it before explaining. I frowned slightly at the smooth, dark grey stone in my palm. "_It's called an Epitaph Stone. It's a recording device; the equivalent to a death notice._"

"Well what does it say?" I demanded, still unwilling to believe what she was telling me.

Using my Vortex Manipulator, I tapped into the stone's frequency and jumped slightly as a hologram of a huge bird appeared on the seat between Colonel Karim and me. Guessing it was a member of the Shansheeth, I tapped a button and engaged the Epitaph Stone's audio files.

"_I bring condolences from the Claw Shansheeth of the fifteeth funeral fleet upon this terrible day._" The giant vulture said, his voice grave and sympathetic. "_The Shansheeth did journey to the Waste Lands of the Crimson Heart, whereupon we found the body of the last Time Lord. Witnesses say that he perished saving the lives of five hundred children from the Scarlet Monstrosity._ _The Doctor's home world is long since lost, but legends talk of his love for the Earth. Therefore the Shansheeth will return the Doctor to the Human race. Oh, weep for him, peoples of the Earth; mourn his loss, for the Universe feels darker tonight._"

There was silence as the message ended and the hologram faded. I bit my lip, cursing the hot, stinging tears in my eyes and clenching my hands into fists at my sides. I couldn't believe that the Doctor was actually gone. I wouldn't believe it.

"I'm not buying it." I told the woman sitting beside me finally, shaking my head. "There's been a mistake."

"I'm afraid there hasn't, Miss Song. The Doctor is dead."

I scowled at her, before sinking back into the seat and brooding on what she'd said. There was no way in my mind that Dad could have gone. I was sure that I would know about it. I concentrated as hard as I could, focusing on the connection in my head with the TARDIS and her thief. Somewhere in the very back of my mind I could feel a tiny spark still burning away, but it was weak and distant. It was enough, though, to fuel my determination that UNIT and the Shansheeth were wrong and the Doctor was still out there somewhere.

That made me suspicious. If the Doctor wasn't dead then what were they playing at. Colonel Karim had said that they'd recovered a body and scientists had proved that it was the Doctor's with tests. How was that possible if he was still alive? Was there something more sinister going on? Or was it an honest mistake; a case of mistaken identity? But how was that possible?

Looking out of the windows as the scenery flashed past I frowned. I wanted nothing more than to be at the UNIT Base so that I could speak to Auntie Sarah and find out what she thought about all this. I doubted whether she would believe it without proof. Maybe talking things through with her would help me understand what was happening.

But if she did believe that the Doctor was dead… well… I wasn't sure what I'd do.


	176. Denial 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Denial**

"So this is UNIT Base Five?" I asked as the vehicle was driven into the base of Mount Snowdon itself. The four hour journey seemed to have taken three times as long. "Croeso i uffern."

"Sorry?" Colonel Karim asked, looking confused.

"It's Welsh for 'welcome to hell'." I informed her with a bright smile.

"You speak Welsh?"

I raised an eyebrow. "You don't?"

The drive from Cardiff to Snowdon had been a nightmare. The UNIT official had questioned me about every topic under the sun; my family, my life, Torchwood, the Vortex Manipulator, everything. It had driven me crazy. As we'd reached the base of the mountain, Colonel Karim had glanced sideways at me to gage my reaction to the first glimpse of the base.

In my opinion they had ruined Snowdown. Metal and satellites stuck out all over the place, blotting the landscape and turning what had been a breath-taking sight into something out of a cheap sci-fi movie. Apparently unimpressed by the expression of total distain on my face, the woman had barked orders at the man driving and we had come to an abrupt halt in some kind of loading bay.

"You've been allocated a bedroom and _the funeral will take place at 900 hours tomorrow, so that gives you time to acclimatise._" Colonel Karim informed me, leading me along bustling corridors rammed with scientists in long white coats.

"It's North Wales, not North Pexhalbar." I pointed out, rolling my eyes. "Onest, ydych chi'n dwp neu rywbeth?"

When I didn't bother to translate, she frowned, before continuing. "_The doors to the funeral wing will be sealed at 2100 hours. This is still a working military base, so you'll only have access to the specified areas._"

"Wych. Felly, rwy'n carcharor?"

The UNIT officer sighed deeply. "Will you please speak English?"

"Pam ddylwn i? Rydym ni'n yng Nghymru; dylech ddysgu Cymraeg." I told her with a smirk. "Beth bynnag, dw'i ddim yn hoffi i chi ac mae hyn yn hwyl." We continued along the corridor a little way until several small, blue creatures caught my attention and I grinned. "Oh! You've got Groske! They're so much nicer than Graske!"

"Yes…" Colonel Karim agreed. "I've already had this conversation today. Can we move on?"

"Cadwch eich wig ar ..."

"The Shansheeth are holding a gathering of remembrance." The woman told me, ignoring my last comment and the smirk on my face that I couldn't hide. "Your bags will be taken straight to your room, so we can go directly to the chapel of rest if you'd like."

I shrugged. "Might as well I suppose. Is that where the others are?"

"I expect so, yes."

"Lead the way, then. Let's get this over and done with, shall we?"

I followed in silence as the woman led me through corridors, finally coming to a stop outside a pair of double doors. A couple of armed UNIT officers opened them, allowing me to look inside at the dimly lit room. Several Shansheeth were milling around amongst the benches that were occupied by mourners. For a moment I wondered who they were, until my eyes settled on Sarah Jane, Clyde and Rani at the front. There were two other people with them; a blonde woman and a curly haired boy. Frowning slightly, I strode down the aisle in the centre of the room, completely ignoring the metallic coffin at the front.

"Auntie Sarah… what's going on?" I demanded, knowing that she couldn't give me any answers.

"Evie!" She exclaimed, jumping to her feet and enveloping me in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're here."

"She said the Doctor's dead." I almost snapped, jabbing my finger towards Colonel Karim who was hovering at the back of the room. "I don't believe it."

Sarah Jane nodded animatedly, gesturing to the blonde woman who had been sitting beside her. "Neither do we. This is–"

"You're Jo Grant!" I told them woman, my mouth dropping open. "Oh my… wow! I've read so much about you from the TARDIS Data Banks. Hi!"

"It's Jo Jones, now." The blonde said, looking a little confused. "Are you a companion of the Doctor's?"

"Of course! You married Professor Clifford Jones and you had… seven children and twelve grandchildren?"

"With a thirteenth on the way!" Jo agreed, still looking bemused. "How did you…?"

"TARDIS Data Banks." I repeated, grinning broadly at her. "She likes to keep the information on the Doctor's companions up to date."

"Jo, this is Evie." Sarah Jane took over, making the necessary introductions as I had failed to do so. "She's the Doctor's daughter."

"His daughter?"

"His younger daughter… technically." I replied with a shrug. Then I frowned slightly, realising that there had been no mention of my sister.

"Where is Jenny?" Sarah Jane asked, following my train of thought.

"I'm not really sure. We were on Borvillia Twelve the day before yesterday, then Dad dropped me off at Uncle Jack's while Mum went off on an expedition to somewhere or other and Jenny… she mentioned something about the Cobweb Caves of Maa'xl, but whether she actually went there or not I couldn't tell you."

"Your family sounds as spread out as mine." Jo told me with a smile.

I grinned. "It does get pretty complicated."

"This is my grandson, Santiago."

"Hi…" I smiled at the teenage boy who rose from the bench behind Rani and Clyde and came over. He stood beside his grandmother, smiling at me. "Great name. I'm Evie."

"I was born there." He explained quickly.

"Following that logic I should have been called Leadworth." I replied with a shrug and a slight frown. "Not quite as exciting, really." Grinning as Rani and Clyde came to join us, I gave each a quick hug and glanced around. "No Luke?"

"He's at University." Sarah Jane explained quickly, obviously not wanting me to think her son didn't care.

There was a low cough and the Shansheeth tried to draw our attention back to the reason for being there. This, though, reminded me of my doubts and I strode to the metal coffin and began examining it carefully. The vulture creatures came closer but I whirled around, jabbing a finger at them angrily.

"I want to see him." I demanded. "Now!"

Colonel Karim stepped forwards. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. The coffin has already been sealed."

"I don't care! Open it!"

"I have to warn you that if you continue to disrupt the Shansheeth's gathering of remembrance you will be escorted to your room until the funeral service tomorrow morning."

"Will I? Really?" I snapped, putting my hands on my hips and glaring at the woman furiously. "I'd like to see you try it!"

"Miss Song, really…"

Whipping the laser blaster I always carried with me out of the waistband of my jeans and aiming it at her, ignoring the hushed gasps and surprised expressions on those around me. "According to you, my father is dead and lying in that coffin and I want to see him. At the moment I really don't believe that he's gone and you are doing nothing to convince me that he is."

"I can show you extensive scientific testing that conclusively shows that–"

"I don't care about your tests! That could be a load of bollocks for all I know; faked by your scientists!" I told her. "Until I see my Dad with my own eyes I am going to kick up as much fuss as possible."

"Evie…" Sarah Jane moved forwards and put an arm around my waist, carefully lowering the hand that was clutching my weapon tightly. She looked at me meaningfully. "Sit down for a moment and think."

I nodded reluctantly and sank onto the bench beside her, trying to work out what might be happening. Memories of Dad flashed through my mind until I couldn't stand staring at the coffin any longer. Growling softly, I fidgeted.

"Let's go, come on." Sarah Jane murmured, sensing my frustration.

Still shaking with anger, I allowed myself to be pulled out of the Chapel and along corridors to a room with four sets of bunk beds in it. The others followed, pulling the door closed behind us. I tucked the laser blaster back into my jeans, before turning to look between the two older women seriously.

"What do you know that I don't?" I asked.

"Apparently there was no sign of the TARDIS where his body was found." Sarah Jane told me, arching an eyebrow. "Doesn't that strike you as odd?"

"Incredibly." I agreed with a nod. "So what do we do?"

"_We need to make a list, because we need to work out who'd fake the Doctor's death and why._"

I sighed and shook my head, leaning against the metal frame of the nearest bunk bed. "How long have you got?"

"_And these can help us to think._" Jo said, standing up with two small candles in her hands. "_They're scented with Jatamansi Oil. It's a herb from the banks of the Ganges; it helps to focus the mind._"

Exchanging a look with Sarah Jane I raised an eyebrow. "Great…"

"_We'll just go and get some… tea._" Rani said quickly, standing up and grabbing her jacket off the back of her chair.

"_Oh, no, no, no; just hot water for me please, sweetheart. I've got some powdered lapaccio…_" Jo said, before breaking off and smiling. "_You know, the Doctor took me to this planet once called Peladon. The smell of lapaccio… well, it reminds me of the… the Royal Palace._"

"_I went to Peladon!_"

"_You never did?_"

"_With the Great Beast Aggedor?_"

"_Same planet!_" Jo confirmed excitedly.

As the two women hugged, laughing excitedly, Rani shot me a look. "Coming?"

"Nah… as weird as this might get, I think I need to stay here and try and work out what's going on." I told her with a sigh. She shot me a sympathetic look, clearly not sharing in our view that there was no way the Doctor could be dead.

"_OK… laters._"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello darlings! :D**_

_**I thought I should probably put in some translations for you ;)**_

_**Onest, ydych chi'n dwp neu rywbeth? **__– Honestly, are you stupid or something?_

_**Wych. Felly, rwy'n carcharor? **__– Brilliant. So I'm a prisoner?_

_**Pam ddylwn i? Rydym ni'n yng Nghymru; dylech ddysgu Cymraeg. **__– Why should I? We're in Wales; you should learn Welsh._

_**Beth bynnag, dw'i ddim yn hoffi i chi ac mae hyn yn hwyl. **__– Anyway, I don't like you and this is fun._

_**Cadwch eich wig ar ...**__ – Keep your wig on…_


	177. Denial 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Denial**

I felt ridiculous. Jo, Sarah Jane and I were sitting cross-legged on the floor of the room we'd been allocated, surrounded by Jo's Jatamansi Oil candles. They weren't helping me think at all. Neither was the strange music that seemed to be floating into the room through the vent in the wall. It was like harp music, but strangely hypnotic.

"_It's that music again…_"

"What is that?" I asked, screwing up my face in confusion.

The two women ignored my question, staring into the distance dreamily. "_It reminds me… the Doctor took me to this planet once… called Carfell…_" Jo started. "_And they had a leisure garden and its plants could sing._"

"_He took me to Italy._" Sarah Jane said slowly. "_San Martino, 1492… I remember this magnificent garden… it smelt of oranges… vanilla…_"

I smiled, a lazy, comfortable feeling settling over me. "He took me to The Lightening Skies of Cotter Palluni's World… it was beautiful… the colours… the shapes in the sky…"

"_Axons… Ogrons… the Daleks…_"

"_Cybermen… Zygons…_"

"Weeping Angels… Ood… Slitheen… Silurians…" I murmured, the creatures running through my head in quick succession.

After a couple of moment I shook my head slightly, looking around and wincing. My head was pounding for some reason and I was inclined to blame the Jatamansi Oil candles. Beside me, Jo and Sarah Jane seemed to be asleep. Frowning, I prodded Sarah Jane in the leg, watching as she took a deep breath before opening her eyes and looking around in confusion.

"_Jo? Jo, wake up!_" She ordered as I leapt to my feet and moved to the door. She joined me, peering into the corridor. "_Rani? Clyde?_"

"_Where is everyone?_" Jo asked as we headed cautiously out into the deserted corridors of the UNIT base.

"_I think there's something wrong._"

Jo frowned at her. "_Wrong? As in… just like the old days sort of wrong?_"

"_Exactly like the old days!_" Sarah Jane agreed, grinning at her.

"_Great!_"

I barely had time to disguise my snort of laughter at their excitement as a cough before Sarah Jane grabbed me by the hand and started pulling me along the corridor. I grinned at their enthusiasm, wondering what it must feel like to be dropped into the middle of one of the wild, mad adventures I was so used to. I always forgot that not everyone lived the way I did.

We reached the end of the corridor, almost running straight into Rani, Clyde and Santiago who were hurrying along the corridor leaning off it.

"_There you are!_" Sarah Jane said, relief evident in her tone.

"_It's the Shansheeth; they're lying through their beaks._" Clyde told us quickly. "_They want you _three_. This whole thing's a trap._"

Sarah Jane smiled with bitter triumph. "_I knew it._"

"_Hold on, if they're lying that means the Doctor's still alive!_" Jo pointed out.

I grinned as the two women high fived each other. "I knew it! I just knew it!"

"_Of course I'm still alive, Jo!_" A familiar voice said. "_I'd have thought that was obvious. Catch up!_"

My mouth dropped open as I watched Clyde's lips moving in time with Dad's voice. "What the hell…?"

"_I beg your pardon!_" Jo snapped, looking shocked.

Sarah Jane frowned. "_Clyde… is that you?_"

"_Course it's not, it's me!_" Clyde replied, still using the Doctor's voice.

"Dad!"

"Yes, quite!" He replied, sounding slightly bored. "_I'm using Clyde as a receiver. I've keyed into his residual Artron energy so I can organise a very complicated biological swap across ten thousand light-years. Hold on…_"

Clyde began to groan as blue light crackled around him. I watched in astonishment until it stopped and the teenage boy looked at us in confusion.

"_That wasn't me… that wasn't me speaking._" He raised his hand and stared at it in a mixture of confusion and horror. Except it wasn't Clyde's hand sticking out of the end of his sleeve. "_That's not my hand… because… my hand's not white…_"

There was another crackle of blue light and Clyde began groaning again, his face contorting with pain. I looked between the others, hoping they were as confused as I was. I understood the concept of the biological swap, but I didn't understand how Dad was managing to do it. It would have made far more sense for him to swap places with me; our Gallifreyan DNA making it the obvious answer.

"What's Artron energy?" I whispered, but no one answered, each staring at the sight in front of us.

Clyde was morphing rapidly into Dad, shouting something that was completely incomprehensible to me. The only part I got was the last word; taken. Shaking my head slightly, I threw myself at him, wrapping my arms tightly around his neck.

He smiled, hugging me back and grinning around. "Aww! That's a welcome for you!" Then he pushed me away and beamed at the others. "_So… that was different! Gosh, hello everyone!_"

"_Who are you?_" Rani demanded, staring at me as though I'd gone mad. "_Where's Clyde?_"

"_Come on, Rani, use your brain! Clyde and I swapped places, yes? So I'm where he was, so he's where I was which means right now… ooh… he's in a lot of trouble…_"

"What have you done?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips and fixing him with a stern expression.

He pulled a face. "Don't do that; you remind me of your mother."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"Well at the moment it's a very, extremely not good thing because River would undoubtedly tell me off and probably slap me." He ducked sideways as though he expected me to try hitting him. When I didn't move, he blinked and straightened up, fiddling with his bow tie and running a hand through his hair. "Ahh, OK, good…"

Not wanting to disappoint him, my hand darted out and smacked him on the cheek. Raising an eyebrow I smiled. "Better?"

"Just like River…" He muttered.

"Where's Clyde?" I asked, sighing and trying to encourage him to return to the matter at hand.

"_You bring him back, whoever you are!_" Rani threatened. I frowned, wondering how she still hadn't worked out who Dad was.

Sarah Jane, however, had. "_No, no, no, Rani! Don't you see?_" She stepped forwards nervously. "_It's you, isn't it? Ahh… you've done it again!_"

"_Hello, Sarah Jane._"

"_Doctor._"

Rani's mouth fell open and she leant forwards slightly. "_That's the Doctor?_"

"_What Doctor?" Jo asked. "THE Doctor? My Doctor?"_

"_Yeah, well, he can change his face!_"

"_Well I know._" The blonde agreed, leaning towards her new friend conspiratorially. "_But into a baby's?_"

I burst out laughing at her words as Dad's face fell slightly. "_Oi! Imagine it from my point of view. Last time I saw you, Jo Grant, you were… what… twenty-one, twenty-two? It's like someone baked you._"

"Rude." I reminded him, rolling my eyes.

He pulled a face. "I was joking and besides, she was rude first."

"_Everyone!_" Santiago attracted our attention and motioned towards the large, vulture-like creatures that were heading towards us along the corridor. "_Meanwhile…_"

"_Ah, yes, the Claw Shansheeth of the fifteenth funeral fleet._" Dad said, striding past us and heading for the creatures. I followed quickly, close on his heels. "_I've been looking for you. Have you been telling people I'm dead?_"

"_I apologise._" One of the Shansheeth said. If he'd been able I would have sworn he'd have smirked. "_The death notice was released a little too soon. Though I can rectify this. Immediately._"

A burst of orange energy shot from his hand… claw… and hit the Doctor directly in the chest. Behind me I heard shrieks and exclamations of horror and from in front I heard Dad gasping in pain. As he dropped to the floor I just stood stock still, trying to think of what to do.

"_I'm so sorry for your loss, Doctor. Rest in peace._"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you for reading guys! It means a lot that you've been patient and stuck with me even though I've been rubbish lately! ;)**_

_**Also, massive thanks to Anastasia Dove, therealjainasolo and Misery Loves Sarah for your reviews! :D**_


	178. Denial 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Denial**

"_But… I was on a planet?_" Clyde muttered, suddenly appearing where the Doctor had been. We all exchanged confused glances for a second.

"_Never mind that!_" Sarah Jane shouted urgently. "_Run!_"

Being the closest to him, I grabbed the boy's hand and pulled him along the corridor after the others as the Shansheeth advanced quickly after us. By the time we'd reached a doorway at the end Clyde had morphed back into the Doctor. He grinned at me, pushing me through the door and turning to Sarah Jane with an equally amused grin on his face.

"_Come along, Smith!_"

I shrugged and grabbed her hand, pulling her after the others. We twisted and turned along corridors that were identical. I had absolutely no idea where we were or where we were going but, apparently, that didn't matter. We reached another door and Dad shouted for us to go through it. I was the last, before him, and caught Colonel Karim's words as she headed calmly towards us.

"_I'm sorry, is there a problem?_" She asked as Dad closed the door in her face.

He glanced at me for a second, frowning slightly, before opening the door and staring at the woman. "_Sorry, I was… slamming it._" Once the door was closed again, Dad leant heavily against it. He seemed to be thinking fast; concocting a plan as he talked. "_Right, now we need to lock it. Come on! Use the sonic lipstick!_"

"_Haven't you got the screwdriver?_" Sarah Jane asked, leaning against the door beside him.

"_They took it._" He informed her casually.

Jo leapt forward excitedly. "_They do sonic lipsticks now?_" She asked, watching as the brunette used the device to seal the door.

"_We're running out of time!_" The Doctor pointed out. "_I need you, Sarah and you, Jo._"

"_You need us for what?_"

"_Remember the old days when we'd go zooming off to faraway worlds?_" He asked looking between them and smiling.

Before they could respond there was an electric crackle and they vanished, replaced by the confused figure of Clyde, who groaned and bent double, obviously suffering from the effects of special displacement. "_I'm getting space sick…_"

I moved to his side, rubbing his back soothingly. "It'll wear off." I assured him. "It's like the VM… takes a little while to get used to it."

There was a knock on the door and the four of us exchanged a look, moving closer. "I'm sorry, but can I help? Is there something wrong?"

"Don't reply." I ordered in a low voice as Santiago opened his mouth to speak.

He frowned slightly. "_But she's on our side, isn't she?_"

"_Think about it,_" Rani whispered back, "_the Doctor's been avoiding her, but why? Because someone inside UNIT had to fake the DNA results… Colonel Karim. She's in league with the Shansheeth._" She glanced at me for reassurance. "Right?"

I shrugged and then nodded. "That would be my guess."

"So… now what?" Clyde asked. "Do we just wait here for the Doctor, Sarah Jane and Jo to come back?"

"Yup." I agreed. "Unless… ahh!"

There was a computer in one corner of the room. Moving towards it, I flicked the control panel on the Vortex Manipulator, using it to get access to the mainframe. A serious of images flashed in quick succession across the display; nothing that would help us. Pressing a button on my wrist strap, I stopped the files as a map of the base appeared.

Beside me, Rani grinned and then turned to the boys who were looking as though they hadn't followed our train of thought. "_D'you see? We're slap bang in the middle of the base. There's got to be a way of getting help._"

"_What does that mean?_" Santiago asked as sections of the map turned red and alarms blared around us.

I swore and tapped at the screen quickly, attempting to access the controls and override the lockdown manually.

"_Karim's sealed off the entire funeral wing._" Rani murmured.

"I can't stop it…" I told them with a wince, my fingers flying over the controls. "They've deadlocked the system."

"_We're trapped._"

Behind us there was a clatter and then, "_Hurry! Hurry! Follow me!_"

"You've gotta love the Groske!" I grinned, doing as he said and sliding into the ventilation shaft without a second thought.

We crawled as quickly as we could after the small, blue creature. The vents twisted and turned through the entire base and I was glad that the Groske was leading the way. After the second left turn I had absolutely no idea where we were going. After a while my hands and knees started hurting and my mind immediately began coming up with ways to punish Dad if my jeans got ruined because of all this crawling. Just as I settled on persuading the TARDIS to eject his hat room, or at least move it somewhere he couldn't find it for a while, there was a clank.

"_Hurry, hurry, hurry!_" The Groske commanded, helping me out of the vent and into the room below.

"_Hey, nice! You've got a little den!_" Clyde remarked, looking around. "_What's all the hurry for?_"

"_Pizza; going cold!_" The small creature informed us. I almost laughed at the absurdity of the situation.

"_What?_" The boy demanded, unimpressed. "_I thought you had a plan?_"

The Groske shook his head. "_Shensheeth too scary; we hide._"

Clyde grabbed the pizza box from his hand and dropped it onto the surface beside him. "_No! We've gotta do something!_"

"_Yeah… but hiding's not bad, because we've got to keep you safe, Clyde. See, whatever the Doctor's doing, he needs you for that body switcharoo…_"

"_Ah, great! Great. Stuck in Groskeville._"

"_Pizza, good._" The Groske responded. Santiago, Rani and I laughed as Clyde rolled his eyes.

"_I can't believe you get to do this all the time._" The curly haired teenager said, grinning around at us and slipping into the room properly. "_Like aliens and chases and stuff._"

Clyde raised an eyebrow. "_You can talk, Santiago. You're off to Paraguay and Mount Everest._"

"_You just zapped into another planet!_"

"_Yeah, that was pretty cool._" Cylde agreed, nodding.

"_Yeah… we've been to parallel times, dream dimensions, limbo and then we go home for tea._" Rani said with a grin.

"_Yeah, we see all of this and then my Mum's like 'what did you do today?' and I'm like 'not much.'_"

"_Went to the library._"

"_Played a bit of footy._"

"_Stayed behind after drama club._"

"_Oh, yeah, and I fought off a platoon of Judoon in my spare time._"

Smiling weakly at the two teenagers joking around, I noticed that Santiago looked as left out as I felt. I smiled at him and he returned the look, twisting his hands in his lap.

"_I've not seen my Mum for six months now._" He said, not looking up.

"_How come?_"

"_She's in Japan organising a rally. I mean… that's great, you know? It's really good work._"

"_Yeah, course it is._"

"_Before that she was in Africa finding shell-flower plants._" He said. "_My father's with the Gay Dads Organisation hiking across Antarctica. We haven't all been together since about… February?_"

I stood up, understanding how he felt. I might not spend so long apart from my family, but I often didn't have a clue where they were or what they were doing or if they would come back. Mum could be on Earth or she could be at the other end of the Universe. I knew that I wouldn't swap my life for Rani or Clyde's for anything, but sometimes I did wish things were a little less complicated.

Filtering out the conversation around me, I wondered what was going on with Dad and his two former companions. I didn't understand what he'd needed them for and where they'd gone. Without saying anything, I climbed into the ventilation shaft and started crawling back in the direction we'd come. I wasn't intending to go far; just far enough to see what was going on.

My plan was foiled by a scraping sound and a thud. I turned quickly and swore as I realised that some kind of partition had descended, blocking my way back into the small room. I could hear the others inside and knocked on the metal, telling them that I would try and find a control panel and reverse the lockdown.

Crawling along, I suddenly realised that the metal beneath my hands and knees was getting warmer. Frowning I used the Vortex Manipulator to do a temperature scan and realised that the temperature was higher behind me than it was in front. Understanding hit me and I swore again as my brain clicked into gear and I realised what they were trying to do; they were putting Clyde, Rani and Santiago in danger to distract the Doctor.

Except the Doctor wasn't here.


	179. Denial 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Denial**

The grate in front of me fell forwards and I prepared myself for the worst. Instead of the beaked faces of the Shensheeth or uniform-clad UNIT officials, however, I was met by the grinning face of my father and the slightly anxious faces of his former companions.

"Hello!" Dad exclaimed with a grin. "What are you doing in there?"

"Am I glad to see you!" I muttered, allowing him to help me out. "They've trapped Rani, Clyde, Santiago and a Groske in a tiny little room and they've turned up the heating. I was trying to find a control panel."

With a grin, Dad clambered inside. "Leave this to me! _Ah! Ventilation shafts! That takes me back… or even forwards. Don't worry, we're coming!_"

"_Don't worry, Santiago. I'm here!_" I stood aside as Jo bent down and pulled her bag off. "_You go first; you've got the sonic lipst–_"

I frowned as she turned to look at Sarah Jane but stopped abruptly. Turning too, I realised why she had stopped speaking mid-sentence as my eyes fell on Sarah Jane being held captive by a Shensheeth. Suddenly Jo was grabbed from behind and, before I could move, two giant wings wrapped themselves around me tightly.

Struggling, I heard the Doctor calling our names. "Go to the others!" I ordered, knowing that they were in more immediate danger. "We can handle this!"

Glancing at the two women, who nodded back, I tried to fight the giant vulture off. Its grip was too tight and a couple of moments later we were being pushed into a room full of serious looking equipment. I frowned; trying to work out what some of it was and did. My hearts seemed to stop as my eyes fell on the TARDIS standing at the back of the room, illuminated by the bulb on the top. As my mouth fell open, I took a couple of steps towards it, before being pushed back by a Shensheeth.

"_Oh, I didn't trust you Colonel from the moment I met you!_" Sarah Jane spat, her eyes falling on the woman standing beside the computer that was controlling the temperature fluctuations.

"_Like I care!_" Karim spat back, arching an eyebrow at us. "_I've never met anyone so staggeringly pious in all my life!_"

"You obviously haven't been to Gilbox then." I told her with a sarcastic smile, reaching out and squeezing Sarah Jane's hand.

The Colonel rolled her eyes and tapped the screen, causing the doors behind us to lock. "_Now then, the chamber's sealed off. The Doctor will need half a tonne of dynamite to get through that._"

"_The TARDIS!_" Jo exclaimed. "_I never thought I'd see it again._"

"_That's what this is all about._" Karim informed us, smiling as she leant on a wide panel covered in buttons and dials. "_The TARDIS and you. Place them in the memory weave._"

We were roughly pushed against upright metal panels that reminded me strangely of something I'd seen before, but couldn't quite remember what. The Shensheeth tied us tightly to them, making sure we were secure before turning around. They placed bands on our heads, hooking them up to a machine and switching them on so a blue light flashed in the centre. Every so often the orange light beneath the blue one would flash as well. I frowned staring at Sarah Jane as I examined her headgear carefully trying to work out what they were for.

"_Come on then, tell us._" Sarah Jane demanded, concentrating on getting answers. Personally, I was concentrating on trying to get free. Not that I was having any luck at all. The metal shackles on our wrists and ankles were not giving way. "_What exactly does a Memory Weave do?_"

"'_Cos I warn you, darling, the memory's going at my age._" Jo chipped in.

"_You need remember only one thing._" One of the vulture creatures informed us, turning from where he'd been watching the TARDIS closely, as though he thought it might just vanish.

Sarah Jane snorted. "_What's that?_"

"_The TARDIS key._"

At his words I suddenly realised why they wanted us to do that. As Karim started fiddling with the headset I was wearing I glared at her, struggling against the shackles. She smiled and moved away to adjust Sarah Jane's.

"_The Weave takes the memory out of your head and makes it real. This device can build a physical key out of your thoughts._"

"_And then we will have access to the TARDIS. The most miraculous machine in creation will be ours._"

"DON'T!" I snapped as he laid his hands on the precious police box. "Don't touch the TARDIS." He turned to look at me carefully. I smiled, arching an eyebrow at him. "It's a bit simplistic, isn't it? I mean what if I remember the tiniest part wrong. It wouldn't work."

"You won't."

"I will." I threatened, glaring at him.

"_We have seen so much of death; the Shansheeth have presided over infinite funerals. We see the pain and the suffering again and again and again. But, with the TARDIS, we can stop this. We can intervene to prevent the loss of life on a Universal scale._"

I laughed. "That's insane."

Sarah Jane looked far from amused. "_You're going to stop death?_"

"_It is a noble quest to halt the endless, endless weeping._" He replied.

"_And change the whole of history? That's why creatures like you can't have time machines, because you'll wreck the entire Universe!_"

From the computer, Colonel Karim shook her head. "_What did I say; pious._"

I growled and fought against the shackles again. "I swear I'm gonna kick your ass into the next dimension when I get out of this…"

"_What d'you get out of this, Colonel?_"

"_A bigger horizon, Miss Smith. The Shansheeth can take me to the stars because there is nothing left for me here on Earth; not anymore._" She turned away, barking orders. "_Accelerate the Weave!_"

I screamed as a pulse of heat and pain forced its way through my head. It was ten times worse than being bitten by a venomous Moshli Snake on Per. It was a hundred times more painful than getting my hand trapped in the grating of the TARDIS console room. My eyes squeezed themselves closed, as though that would help the blinding agony that seemed to be ripping me apart from the inside out.

Barely aware of what was going on around me, I could just about make out Sarah Jane and Jo's cries of agony as they too were subjected to the Memory Weave. The pain receded slightly, or perhaps it was just my body reacting and adjusting to the intrusion. I heard banging on the doors and Dad's voice.

"_They want the key; they've got the TARDIS and a Memory Weave._" Sarah Jane shouted back.

"_Too late!_" Karim gloated. "_Full activation!_"

"_Concentrate… think of the key._" The Shensheeth commanded as the Memory Weave got stronger.

I tried to think of anything else but the pull was too strong to resist. My mind kept wandering back to the small, silver key that I wore on a chain around my neck. I almost laughed as I realised that they could have saved themselves all this trouble by just grabbing it off me in the first place.


	180. Denial 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Denial**

Fighting with my mind I forced myself to imagine any other key I could think of. Each time I thought I was succeeding I found my mind dragged back to that one, important piece of metal. I lost all sense of time and rational thought, only able to concentrate on the TARDIS and its key. I was only vaguely aware of a stream of golden particles being emitted from each of our headsets, meeting in the middle above the console and colliding to form a swirling golden ball.

"_The key… it takes shape!_" The Shensheeth exclaimed as they stared at the mass of energy.

"_Don't!_" Jo shouted.

"_I can't… stop…_" Sarah Jane murmured.

"No!" I almost screamed as I saw a key appear and begin to solidify in the middle of the energy ball.

"_Sarah, Jo, can you hear me?_" Dad called, his voice echoing around the chamber. "Evie?"

"_The key! It's almost ready!_"

"_Listen… I want you to remember_."

Jo shook her head. "_We are doing… that's the trouble._"

"_I want you to remember everything._" He told us quickly. I screwed up my face, wondering what he was going on about. "_Every single day with me; every single second!_"

I laughed, understanding what he was thinking. "Oh, you are good!"

"_What's he doing?_" Colonel Karim demanded.

"You are really good!" I replied, forcing my mind to remember even the most mundane of days.

"_Because your memories are more powerful than anything else on this planet. Just think of it Sarah, remember it Jo! But properly… properly… give the Memory Weave everything; every planet, every face, every mad man, every loss, every sunset, every scent, every terror, every joy... every Doctor._"

"_I remember!_" Sarah Jane cried.

"_I remember!_" Jo repeated.

I laughed, images flashing through my head as the Memory Weave started to overload. I could hear the Colonel shouting in anger and frustration as her plans came crashing down around her. I remembered everything; Mum's face, Jenny's laugh, the sound of the Doctor's squeaky shoes, Christmas in Leadworth on the wonderful old Earth, the hot season on Medulos Nine, the rainy season on Blom and everything in between.

"I remember!" I added my voice, grinning broadly. "You genius!"

There were bangs and explosions around the room as the circuits blew. Sparks showered down on us from above as the shackles popped and we were finally freed. Wrenching the headset off and throwing it aside, I rushed to the doors with Sarah Jane and Jo, wrenching on the doors in an attempt to get out from the machine exploded.

"_We've drained it…_" Sarah Jane muttered, glancing at her sonic lipstick which was completely refusing to cooperate. "_Doctor? Doctor! I can't get out._"

"_I can't open it._" He admitted from the other side of the door. He sounded defeated and dejected and my hearts sank.

"_No sonic screwdriver…_"

"_It's inside the TARDIS._" He admitted.

I closed my eyes tightly for a moment, before opening them and glancing around quickly. One option was to get inside the TARDIS. With the Shansheeth and Colonel Karim around that was not a good idea. I was just cursing every funeral director and UNIT official under the sun (and several other suns) when my eyes fell on the coffin and I grinned.

"_I just want to say… I'm so glad I saw you again._" Jo told him. "_I waited all this time and it was worth it; every second. Funny thing is though, your funeral turns out to be ours instead._"

"_Doctor… all of you… you'll look after Luke for me, please?_"

"Come on you two!" I called, leaning against the metal coffin. "We're not gonna go down without a fight, are we?"

They looked at me in confusion for a moment as Dad's voice reached us through the doors. "_No! No, no, no! But listen! My funeral? Don't you see, it's my funeral!_"

"_With the lead-lined coffin!_"

We wrenched open the lid and the three of us climbed inside, squeezing into the small space. With Sarah Jane on one side of me and Jo on the other, I had to admit that it was one of the strangest experiences I'd had in a coffin. Not THE strangest experience, but it was pretty high up on the list.

"How much longer do you thi–" I started. My question was cut off by a massive explosion. Inside the coffin we were perfectly safe, sheltered from the blast by the metal around us. "OK. So that answered that one."

The two women burst into delighted, slightly hysterical laughter, wrapping their arms around each other and me in their relief. Without warning, the lid was raised and the laughing stopped abruptly. We all glanced up and saw Dad, Rani, Clyde and Santiago leaning over us.

"_The coffin was the trap… the coffin was the solution._" Dad muttered, nodding slightly. "_That's so neat I could write a thesis._"

I grinned up at him and held out a hand. He grabbed it and pulled me out of the coffin, leaving Sarah Jane and Jo laughing and hugging each other in relief. I shook my head and rolled my eyes. Dusting myself down, I reached into my waistband and pulled out the laser blaster, checking it for damage and shrugging as Dad tutted loudly.

"What?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like I used it." Then I grinned again. "I was WAY ahead of you on the coffin thing by the way."

"I severely doubt that." He replied, folding his arms.

"Actually, Doctor, she was." Jo admitted, pausing in her laughter for a moment.

He frowned slightly before, unable to keep his face like that a second longer he beamed at them. "_Come on you two, out you get!_"

After a quick stop off to retrieve our belongings and for Dad to lecture some poor unsuspecting person on the events that had taken place, we were in the TARDIS and swooping through the Vortex on our way to drop Sarah Jane, Rani and Clyde home. As Dad whirled around the console, showing off as usual, I followed him more calmly and corrected his mistakes.

"What are you doing?" He demanded, catching sight of me flipping several switches that he had just moved.

"Nothing."

"You are, you're doing something."

"No, I'm not." I lied with an innocent smile. "Did I do anything, Auntie Sarah? Jo?"

"Of course she didn't, Doctor." Sarah Jane replied at once.

"Why would she?" Jo added.

When he moved away, eyes narrowed and grumbling slightly, they both turned to me and winked. I grinned back and continued what I was doing; ensuring that we ended up in the attic of Sarah Jane's house without breaking anything.

"_Woah…_" Clyde exclaimed, the first out after we landed. "_Its… It's Bannerman Road!_ _It's like everything moved… I'll never get used to that._"

"I'd stay away from Vortex Manipulators, then." I advised him with a grin, leaning against the side of the police box so that Rani could get past.

"_Mr Smith!_" She exclaimed. "_You're in big trouble! Those Shansheeth were bad!_"

"_It transpires, Rani, that you encountered a rogue element._" The computer told her sounding, if it was possible for a computer to do so, defensive. "_The Wide Wing of the High Shansheeth Nest sends apologies._"

Santiago chuckled softly. "_No way! On top of everything you've got a talking computer? That is it, I'm giving up._"

"I've got two hearts," I reminded him, "a talking computer's not that great." Rani laughed and came to lean beside me. I slung an arm loosely around her shoulder and glanced into the TARDIS. "What I want to know is, what was all that Artron energy stuff about?"

Clyde frowned slightly at me. "Remember at Sarah Jane's Wedding… with the Trickster?"

"The what? When did Auntie Sarah get married?" I asked, looking between the teenagers in confusion.

"Apparently not yet." Sarah Jane answered, appearing through the TARDIS doors and smiling. I shrugged, realising that I hadn't got to that adventure yet. "You'd better go… the Doctor's raring to leave."

I gave her a tight hug, before bestowing one on Jo and waving to the teenagers who had moved away from the police box. Then I went inside and closed the doors firmly behind me. Glancing up towards the console I smiled, walking towards Dad who was leaning against it with his arms folded and watching my progress up the steps.

"Onwards?" He asked.

Nodding I stood beside him and looked up at the pulsing lights fondly. "Always."


	181. Check Up

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Check Up**

Age: 36

Location: Chiswick, London, Earth

Date: April 2008 AD

* * *

><p>"Evie?" Jack's grinning face appeared over the railing from the balcony that ran along the upper level of the hub. "Got a job for you."<p>

I twisted in my chair and nodded. "Shoot, Uncle J."

"My office?"

Nodding again, I headed up the metal steps and entered Uncle Jack's office, pushing the door closed behind me. Folding my arms over my chest, I looked at him expectantly, waiting for Jack to explain what he wanted me to do. Recently all he'd tasked me with was filing and cataloguing and the occasional Weevil hunt when he had no choice but to involve me.

"Well? What's the job?" I asked after a moment when he made no attempt to speak.

"I would like you to and check on Donna."

Frowning, I took a step closer. "What d'you mean, check on Donna? You always check on Donna. You love checking on her." I reminded him with a smirk, loving the fact that I knew more about their future than they did at the moment. "You have to check on Donna."

"Can you stop saying the word 'check', now? It's starting to sound weird."

"Stop changing the subject. Why do you want me to go?"

"There might have been… complications." He muttered, clearing his throat and looking down so that he was no longer looking me in the eyes.

I smirked. "You fancy her, don't you?"

"What? No."

"Yeah you do! You fancy Auntie Donna!" I persisted, laughing delightedly at the realisation that I'd managed to make the great Captain Jack Harkness blush. "This is brilliant! But why don't you want to go and check on her? Surely that means you get to see her and… oh! Did you hit on her and she turned you down?"

Clearing his throat again, Jack stood up and moved around the desk to the bookcase beside me. "Don't be ridiculous. I just have a lot on here and I thought you'd be willing to do it. If not I can always send Owen?"

"Owen?" I asked in disbelief. "You'd send Mr I-Can-Have-Anyone-I-Want to check on Donna's health? What exactly did you do that's so bad that you can't face her?"

"I kissed her." Jack replied so quietly that I barely heard him. "And she kissed me back. It's too dangerous for me to see Donna again, so I'm assigning you to her case."

Realising that this wouldn't be a good time to start teasing him, I just nodded. "Alright, what's the story then?"

"She's temping at Canary Wharf; a global IT company called 3i Infotech Ltd based at 25, Canada Square." He said, pulling out a file and opening it.

I took a quick look and raised an eyebrow at the detailed information he had gathered on her whereabouts. It was a full biography of Donna's life including, I noticed with amusement, details of men she'd been seeing. I raised my eyebrow in his direction as I scanned the text, seeing that recently she'd been dating a man called Shaun Temple. With a frown I realised that I had met Shaun when I was eighteen or nineteen; years ago. From what I remembered he was sweet, but not particularly bright.

"OK, so I'll hang around there at clocking off time and hope she appears." I nodded, thinking. "I can bump into her or something. I know it's obvious," I said, holding up my hands at the expression on his face, "but the simpler the better, right?"

"That's why we love you." Jack told me seriously. It took a moment for me to realise he was teasing me by implying I was simple and I stuck my tongue out. "Off you go then. I want a full report when you get back; everything gets noted, OK?"

"Yes, sir."

Sending him an over-enthusiastic salute, I left the office and jogged down the steps into the main part of the Hub. Grabbing my jacket from the back of my chair, I dodged past Owen and Tosh who seemed to be arguing over something they'd found on their latest case and smiled at Ianto who had just emerged from the kitchen. Heading out through the Information Centre, I paused and told Gwen where I was going, shrugging when she asked why Jack wasn't doing it himself. I guessed that he wouldn't want the reasons broadcast around his team.

Using the Vortex Manipulator, I found myself standing next to a tree. Frowning slightly, I replaced the cover over the device on my wrist and looked around carefully, trying to work out whether I'd got the coordinates wrong. Wandering slowly in a random direction, I found a path through what I assumed was a park, stopping a harassed looking woman with a smile.

"Excuse me, could you tell me where 25, Canada Place is?" I asked.

She arched an eyebrow and pointed behind me. Turning, I looked up at the tall buildings she was indicating and winced, feeling incredibly stupid. Muttering my thanks and an apology for wasting her time, I sighed, before heading in the direction of the glass and metal skyscraper quickly. People were already starting to stream out of the doors, heading in the direction of the station beneath the park. Swearing under my breath I looked desperately at the crowd for the tell-tale red-hair that would give Donna away.

I spotted her, too late, as she rounded the corner at the end of the park, heading for the station entrance. Thinking quickly, I headed back into the park and changed the coordinates to take me to Chiswick Park Station. No one even blinked as I materialised and I smiled to myself, before walking quickly through the crowds of people making their way in the opposite direction to me. Pushing through the door, I leant on the information desk and smiled at the bored-looking, middle-aged man who was sitting behind it doing his best to ignore my presence.

"Hi." I said brightly, forcing him to look at me. The man sighed and grudgingly tore his gaze away from his newspaper. "My friend just told me she's got on the tube at Canary Wharf… how long will it take her to get here?"

He tapped lazily at the keyboard of the computer in front of him. "That train gets in at… one minute past six."

I raised an eyebrow, before arranging my expression into a smile. "Cheers."

Wondering how Donna put up with such a long commute every day, although I supposed she decided it was worth it for the opportunity to work somewhere like Canary Wharf with the chance of meeting a rich man, I made my way out of the station and looked along the street. I spotted a café and, deciding that I may as well have something to eat while I waited for Donna's train to arrive, settled myself at a table on the pavement outside the building so that I could keep an eye out for the red-head. Texting Jack quickly to inform him of what I was doing, I slowly ate my sandwich and waited.

Although I was totally focused on what I was supposed to be doing, the sight of the very familiar woman passing the café startled me into action. I jumped from my seat, throwing on my jacket and bag and smiling at the waitress who looked a little concerned at my haste. Rushing after her, I wondered how I could possibly engage Donna in conversation. It wasn't until I glanced down at the almost full can of coke that I was clutching in my hand that I thought of an idea. Smirking slightly at the reaction my actions would cause, I transferred the can into my left hand and broke into a jog, gaining on Donna quickly.

"Watch it!" She grumbled as my elbow knocked into her. Then she shrieked as all the liquid inside the can spilt over her top. "What the hell?!"

"Oh my god! I am so, so sorry!" I apologised, skidding to a halt and turning to face her. As I pawed lamely at the patch that was spreading across the fabric, Donna swatted my hands away. "Let me give you some money for dry cleaning or a new top or something."

She sighed and shook her head as I reached into my bag for my purse. "No, no. Don't worry… it was an accident and accidents happen."

"Well at least let me buy you drink to apologise?" I persisted with an almost pleading smile.

Donna paused for a moment, narrowing her eyes slightly, as though she was suspicious of my motives. I tried to make my expression as innocent as possible, until she sighed. "Alright; it's the best offer I've had today and it'll be better than watching Mum and Granddad arguing about the answers on whatever quiz show they're watching tonight."

"Brilliant! So, know any decent pubs?"

"You not from round here, then?"

I shook my head and smiled. "Nope, Cardiff."

"I have a friend who lives in Cardiff…" Donna murmured. She didn't seem to be intending to elaborate on what she'd said and I had no intention of asking either. "There's a nice place round the corner from my house. We can stop off so I can change my top on the way."

I grinned and nodded. Then I realised that, as far as Donna was concerned, we were complete strangers. "Sounds like a plan, although I don't usually go back to the houses of women I've never met before."

"Donna Noble." Donna said, holding out her hand formally.

I laughed and shook it. "Evie Cooper."

Donna frowned slightly, but then she shrugged. "Well, now we're not strangers any more shall we go?"

Following her along the road, we chatted amicably. I managed to surreptitiously find out the answers to all the questions I knew Jack would ask me when I returned to the Torchwood Hub. I was amused to hear that, although Donna was seeing Shaun, she didn't consider the relationship serious.

Donna paused at the end of her driveway, before leading the way to the front door. I was slightly nervous about entering the Nobles' house, unable to remember whether or not Sylvia or Wilf would be able to recognise me. I knew they'd seen me since my regeneration, but as Donna hadn't been around at the time I couldn't remember whether, for them, that meeting had happened yet. Nan would probably murder me if it had.

"I'll only be a minute." Donna told me with a smile, ushering me into the living room and smiling at her mother and grandfather. "Mum, Gramps, this is Evie. I'm just gonna get changed and then we're going out."

As she darted away, I turned to face Sylvia and Wilf uneasily. There was a moment where we all just looked at each other, slightly suspicious expressions on all of our faces. Deciding that they evidently didn't recognise me, or they would have said something by now – Nan probably something scathing and Gramps would probably have attacked me with a hug – I had to make the decision as to how to handle the situation. I could either tell them who I was and what I was doing there, or I could play innocent and stick to my assumed identity.

"Hi, I'm Evie… like Donna said." I told them with a bright smile. "Evie Cooper."

Sylvia sniffed. "Pleased to meet you, I'm sure."

She looked confused as my smile broadened at her complete lack of recognition. Wilf had just started questioning me on my life and how I knew his Donna, when the woman appeared in the doorway and rolled her eyes.

"Stop giving her the third degree!" She ordered. "Come on, Evie, let's go and get that drink. Don't wait up; I'll be in late."

Almost helplessly, I said goodbye and trailed after Donna for what I assumed was going to be a very long and messy night.

x-x

"And where were you last night?" Jack demanded, arching an eyebrow at me as I stumbled into the Torchwood Hub the next morning. "I was expecting you to write up your report in Donna's file straight away."

Wafting my hand in his general direction, I staggered over to the sofa on the other side of the Hub and collapsed onto it face first with a loud groan. I was far too hungover to deal with Jack gouching at me.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Gwen asked gently, perching beside me on the sofa and rubbing my back soothingly.

"Hnnggg…" I replied, my pained groan almost vanishing into the cushion.

"Did you and Donna go drinking?" Jack demanded, leaning over the railings above us and chuckling slightly. "Oh, Evie… rookie mistake. Never go drinking with Donna Noble; she'll drink you under the table."

I raised my head just enough to glare at him, before returning it to the cushion. "I noticed."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello darlings! Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing – I don't mean to keep repeating myself, but it really does mean a lot that you guys are still taking the time to do it!**_

_**Disclaimer: I don't have any connection to Canary Wharf, any of the businesses there or any train/tube stations mentioned. Just thought I'd make that very clear. I just played with google to get some info!**_


	182. Wake Me Up When It's Over

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Wake Me Up When It's Over**

Age: 50

Location: Leadworth, England, Earth

Date: December 6th 2022 AD

* * *

><p>"Mum! Mum! Mum!"<p>

I groaned and rolled over, burying my head in my pillow and trying to ignore both the light that was forcing its way in through the crack in the curtains and my daughter who had thrown herself on top of me. As Jessica started bouncing excitedly up and down on the bed, I realised I had no choice but to wake up.

"D'you remember what day it is?" Jessica asked excitedly as I blinked blearily at her, pulling myself up into a seated position and leaning against the headboard.

Yawning, I frowned slightly. "Of course I remember, sweetie. I'm hardly likely to forget, am I?"

"But it's your birthday! Why aren't you excited?"

"Because, my darling, I am old. When you've had as many birthdays as I have you stop getting excited about them."

"Pops doesn't. I've had eleven birthdays and I'm still excited about them." Jessica argued. "Besides, you're not old. Grandma and Nana Sylvia are old. Granddad Wilf is DEFINITELY old."

I chuckled, my mood raised slightly by the fact that Jessica had lumped Mum and Nan in the same category. I made a note to mention it to Donna when I saw her next. Then I glanced at the clock beside my bed and swore under my breath.

"Jess! School!"

"I don't have to go to school today; it's your birthday."

Swinging my legs out from under the duvet, I rolled my eyes. "You know it doesn't work like that, babe. Now come on, we're gonna be late."

While Jessica reluctantly went off to get ready for school, I stared gloomily in the mirror. Although today was my fiftieth birthday, I still only looked like I was in my mid 20's. It was a positive, I supposed, although for some reason my birthday always filled me with a strange feeling that I couldn't put my finger on, but didn't like. The rest of the year, my age didn't bother me in the slightest but, for one day, it drove me crazy.

Refusing to get dressed, I pulled my coat and boots on over my pyjamas and, after a hurried breakfast, Jessica and I made our way towards the High School. At the gates, we spotted Donna standing with a small huddle of other mothers and I made my way towards her slowly, kissing my daughter on the top of her head as she spotted Zoe and some of their friends a little way off.

"Happy birthday, love!" Donna gushed, pulling me into a hug and kissing my cheek. "Mum and Gramps are expecting you round at ours at some point."

"Really?" I groaned in response. "Why?"

She laughed. "Because, idiot, it's your birthday!"

"It's your birthday, Evie?" Laura, the Mum of one of Jessica's friends, said. "Wow! Happy birthday! How old are you?"

"Err… twenty-nine." I answered quickly with a weak smile, sending a scowl in Donna's direction.

"I remember twenty-nine, well." Helen, another of the Mums said with a smile. "Those were the days; before science homework and after-school clubs."

Caroline grinned. "So what are you doing to celebrate?"

I shrugged. "Nothing much; hanging out with the family by the sounds of it."

The three women shook their heads. "On your twenty-ninth?" Laura demanded. "You're not fifty! You should be going out and getting hammered."

I couldn't help smirking at her comment. "I don't really have anyone to go out and get hammered with. Besides, my Mum is coming to visit, so…"

"Why don't we all go out?" Caroline suggested eagerly. Clearly the thought of a night out was something that appealed to the other women as they started discussing it excitedly. "We could go to that new wine bar on the High Street? It's been ages since I had a night out."

"Err…" I exchanged a slightly panicked look with Donna, who was obviously trying not to laugh at my discomfort. It wasn't that I didn't appreciate the thought; I just didn't relish the thought of spending an evening with women I saw for approximately ten minutes a day in the school playground. "I'm not sure that–"

"Brilliant! So if we discuss details at home time?" Helen suggested, glancing at her watch. "I've got to dash; Jamie's at playgroup this morning."

As the women dispersed, I pouted at Donna and smacked her on the arm lightly. "Great!"

"What? I didn't do anything!" She pointed out, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me towards the school gates. As we started walking towards Sylvia's house, she tried to cheer me up, knowing how much I hated this particular day of the year. "Look, I've got to pop into Torchwood later, so I'll force Gwen and Martha to come out with us tonight. Your Mum's coming back later, too, isn't she? Is Jen around? We might be able to make this night out slightly bearable."

I shrugged. "I dunno… last I heard she was heading to some battle site on Pygfas Nine to track down someone she met during some adventure or other."

"Jenny hasn't missed your birthday yet, wherever she is." Donna reminded me as we turned into her mother's street. She glanced down at me and sighed. "You do realise that Mum's going to lecture you about wearing your pyjamas on the school run?"

As Donna had predicted, Nan told me off for not getting dressed and doing my hair and makeup before going out. Since her daughter had married Jack, she had turned her attention onto me, keen to marry me off to whichever eligible bachelor caught her eye that week. So far I'd been set up with countless men, including Nan's friend Suzette's grandson, the mechanic who fixed her car and even her librarian. She didn't take any notice of my complaints and continued introducing me to men.

By the time Mum and Donna appeared, I was almost glad that I had arrangements to go out for my birthday because Nan had been dropping hints about the 'lovely young man who works in the paper shop'. I was actually quite surprised that there were still any men in Chiswick that she hadn't already tried to set me up with.

I frowned as the two older women, with Martha and Gwen behind us, ushered me in the direction of the taxi that was waiting to take us to the bar where we were meeting the others. This was not how I had expected to spend my fiftieth birthday.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello! **_

_**In honour of Evie's birthday tomorrow – incidentally the same as mine, so I don't forget it ;) – I thought I'd write this chapter. **_

_**I'm not particularly happy with it, but I've been mega busy lately and haven't had time to tweak it anymore. I hope you enjoy it, anyway!**_

_**x **_


	183. Rather Not Remember

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Rather Not Remember**

Age: 56

Location: The TARDIS

Date: -

* * *

><p>I pushed open the TARDIS doors and went inside. The Doctor had appeared in Gran and Gramps' kitchen with Mum and told me that Jessica had stayed behind because she was in the middle of something. Curiously, I'd decided to go and see what she could possibly be doing.<p>

As soon as I entered the police box, music greeted me. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I knew it from somewhere, I just couldn't think where.

_Oh I could throw you in the lake_

_Or feed you poisoned birthday cake_

_I won't deny I'm gonna miss you when you're gone_

_Oh I could bury you alive_

_But you might crawl out with a knife_

_And kill me when I'm sleeping_

_That's why I can't decide whether you should live or die_

_Oh, you'll probably go to heaven_

_Please don't hang your head and cry_

_No wonder why my heart feels dead inside_

_It's cold and hard and petrified_

_Lock the doors and close the blinds_

_We're going for a ride_

I stopped abruptly as the lyrics and the melody washed over me. Suddenly I remembered where I'd last heard the song and gasped, clutching at the railings around the console in sudden panic. Images flashed through my mind as it started again, apparently on repeat.

The Master.

I remembered where I'd heard the song before. During the year we'd spent aboard the Valient he'd listened to it over and over again. I remembered him telling me that the lyrics summed up how he felt about the Doctor; he couldn't decide whether to kill him or to carry on the ride and enjoy messing with him for a bit longer.

Panicking, I rushed through the TARDIS corridors in search of the source of the sound. As though she could sense my urgency to stop the music, the TARDIS pointed me in the right direction and I skidded to a halt outside Jessica's bedroom door. Taking several steadying breaths, I pushed open the door and frowned.

"Hey, Mum… what's wrong?"

"Turn that off. Now." I ordered, ignoring her question and striding into the room.

Jessica raised the remote and silenced the music, staring at me in total confusion. "What is it?"

"That song… why were you listening to it?"

"I… I don't know. I was looking through some stuff in the library and I found the CD. I listened to it once and then… I don't know… I just kept putting it on repeat. I swear I've never heard it before, but I seemed to recognise it." My daughter tried to explain, looking a little confused by her own reasoning. "Why did it upset you?"

I sighed and moved to sit on the end of her bed putting my head in my hands and closing my eyes tiredly. I felt the bed dip beside me and guessed that Jessica had moved to sit beside me. A moment later I felt her slip her hand into mine and pull it gently away from my face so that she could look into my eyes.

"Mum?"

"Jessica."

She exhaled sharply. "Don't be an idiot. Tell me what's wrong."

"That song it was… when I was pregnant with you he kept playing it over and over again. It was on board the Valiant during the year that never was. He kept saying that it summed up how he felt about your grandfather." I sighed. "It just… hearing it again brought back memories that I thought I'd buried."

"Sorry, Mum." She murmured. Obviously she knew that 'he' was her father, even though I hadn't said as much. So far I had never mentioned his name and didn't intend to now. Jessica didn't need to know yet. I smiled weakly and squeezed her hand, trying to convey that I wasn't blaming her for bringing the memories back. "You… you've never told me about that year and what happened. You never talk about it. Maybe if you ju–"

I shook my head. "No. There's a reason I never talk about that year. When you're older, when you're ready, I'll tell you everything. I promise."

"I am ready." Jessica told me firmly, pouting slightly.

"No, Jess. You think you're ready, honey, but trust me, you're not." I replied firmly. Standing up, I took a deep breath. "Come on, your great-grandparents are making dinner and I said I'd fetch you. I think it's Grory's special."

My daughter rolled her eyes. "You know I don't call him Grory anymore. I'm not a baby, mother."

I laughed, glad that she'd let the issue of her father drop. "You'll always be my baby, Jess."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: The Lyrics are from **_**I Can't Decide**_** by the **_**Scissor Sisters**_** and they were used in **_**Last of the Time Lords_ :)_**


	184. Betrayal

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Betrayal**

Age: 38

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: 2008

* * *

><p>I yawned, sinking back into the sofa and switching on the television and flicking through the channels. It had been a long shift at the Torchwood Hub and Jack had been on my case more than usual. His bad mood had started a couple of days ago when I mentioned that Tom and I had been out for dinner the night before and my boyfriend had hinted that there was something he wanted to ask me.<p>

Gwen, Tosh and Ianto had instantly decided that he was going to propose, which had caused Owen to roll his eyes and Jack to stamp up to his office and slam the door. It had also sent me into a panic. It wasn't that I didn't love Tom, but the idea of getting married and settling down was terrifying.

Switching the television off when I realised that there was nothing worth watching on, I sighed and absent-mindedly twirled a strand of hair around my finger. It had been four years since my regeneration, but I still got confused sometimes when I saw blonde, rather than dark brown, hair winding round my fingers. I thought about the prospect of marriage; Mum and Dad had done it and it hadn't changed anything about their relationship. Dad was still pottering around the Universe in his little blue box and Mum was… still Mum.

But I had given in to Tom's pleas for us to move in together and even that made me uncomfortable. I loved Tom, I really did, but it was all too much. I wasn't used to being in one place and being… settled.

Climbing off the sofa I went for a shower, emerging half an hour later dressed in my pyjamas and rubbing my hair with a towel. Catching sight of my reflection in the mirror I was almost fooled into thinking that my hair was still brown. Sighing, I threw the towel in the vague direction of the washing basket and went into the kitchen.

"Hey, babe." I called as I heard the flat door click closed. Reaching for a second mug, I dropped a teabag into it and filled it from the recently boiled kettle. Putting it down hastily, I frowned at the expression on Tom's face. "What? What is it?"

"There's something I need to tell you." He said slowly, sinking onto the sofa and putting his head into his hands.

Instantly worried, I abandoned the tea and perched beside him on the sofa. "Tom?"

"I… the other night… when I went out with the boys… I..."

Suddenly I knew what he was about to say. Standing up, I moved away and wrapped my arms around myself tightly. For a couple of moments I stared out of the window, watching people wandering along the street outside. Then I moved to the counter and continued making the tea.

"Who was she?" I asked, almost as though I was asking about work or something equally mundane.

"I…"

I laughed sardonically. "You don't even know her name?"

"It didn't…"

"It didn't mean anything, right?" I finished his sentence. "That's what you were going to say, right? That it was just a drunken mistake?"

Tom put his head in his hands. "I… I don't know. I wasn't drunk; I'd only had two beers."

I laughed again, shaking with anger. "So you weren't even drunk?"

"No, Evs, I don't. I can't explain it. It was like I knew her…"

Taking a deep breath I barged out of the living room and into the bedroom, slamming the door behind me and yanking open the wardrobe doors. Pulling on jeans and a t-shirt, I grabbed a jacket and stamped back through into the room where I'd left my boots. Tom was still sitting on the sofa, looking guilty and not just a little bit shell-shocked. Ignoring him completely, I laced up my boots and grabbed my bag, slinging it over my shoulders.

"I'm going out." I snapped.

"Are you going to work?"

"Maybe. Why? Are you worried I'm going to get my own back? Or are you scared about who I'll tell what you've done?" Tom stood up and moved towards me, reaching out. I slapped his hands away and narrowed my eyes as he retreated back to the other side of the room. "No; don't you even think about touching me. Don't worry, I'm not going to tell anyone. I don't need them wading in and telling me what to think and do. You're lucky because they would kill you."

"Evie, please, just listen to me!"

I crossed the room and slapped him firmly, fire flashing in my eyes as he stumbled backwards with his hand pressed to his stinging cheek. "Don't you dare. I will listen to you if and when I see fit. Until then… stay out of my way."

With a final glare, I pressed a button on my Vortex Manipulator and vanished. It was only when my feet touched the ground and I was alone I allowed myself to let my emotions show. I burst into angry tears, my breathing stuttered as I attempted to get myself under control. Rubbing my eyes with the heels of my palms I walked up the driveway of the house I had materialised outside and knocked firmly on the front door.

It was a couple of minutes before the door was opened. Sarah Jane's face fell as she saw the expression on mine and she pulled me into a tight hug, propelling me through the hallway into her living room. Sarah Jane had been the only person I could think of to go to after Tom's revelation; everyone else would go in all guns blazing and probably end up injuring him. Or worse.

"What's the matter, darling?" She asked softly, rubbing circles on my back as I sobbed into her shoulder.

"Tom… he… he…" I sniffed a couple of times, trying to get my breathing under control. "He cheated on me."

As I dissolved into tears again, Sarah Jane tightened her grip and rocked me gently. She said nothing until I had calmed myself down slightly. Then she rose from the sofa and disappeared for a few moments, returning with two mugs of hot, sweet tea. After I'd finished my drink, she plucked the mug from my hands and set it on the coffee table.

"Right… what did he say?"

"He didn't need to say anything, Auntie Sarah." I told her. "I could tell from his face."

"So you didn't let him explain himself?"

I raised an eyebrow. "Would you have?"

"No, probably not." She agreed with a shrug. "But in all the years you've known him he's never done anything like this before, has he? Has he ever given you a reason to suspect he'd cheat on you?"

"No." I agreed. Sarah Jane was the perfect choice to calm me down in this situation; she was calm and reasonable, the complete opposite to how most of my family would react. "But–"

"And he told you straight away?"

"Well, yeah, but–"

"So if I were you I'd hear him out before I made any drastic decisions." Sarah Jane suggested reasonably. She squeezed my hand. "I'm not saying that you have to forgive or forget; that's up to you after you've heard what he's got to say. I just don't think you should throw your life away because you're angry."

I groaned and buried my head in her shoulder again, knowing she was right. "You're right, of course. But can I stay here for a while? Just until I sort myself out?"

"Of course." She agreed, kissing the top of my head. "You know you're always welcome."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello darlings! **_

_**I feel mean writing this chapter, but there is a reason that will become clear at some point ;)**_

_**It happens just before **_**The Greater Good**_**, which I think is about chapter 129.**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it, however angsty it was!**_


	185. Memory Lane

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Memory Lane**

Age: 15

Location: Gloucester, England, Earth

Date: December 2012

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" I moaned as Mum led me along a dull, grey street that could have been any street in any city. People were pushing past in their haste to reach the shops and get out of the bitter cold. I shivered, hunching my shoulders in an attempt to keep warm, rubbing my hands together before shoving them deep into the pockets of my coat.<p>

"You're always saying we don't do anything together." She replied, pulling my hand out of the warmth of my pocket and squeezing my hand with a smile. "So I'm going to show you where your grandparents and I grew up."

I frowned lightly. "You grew up in Leadworth. I know Leadworth and this ain't it."

"This isn't Leadworth." Mum corrected my grammar instinctively. "No, this is Gloucester. I stole a bus from the bus station here one night and drove it through the botanical gardens between here and Leadworth. That was an interesting night..."

Raising an eyebrow at her, I grinned. "Why did you do that?"

Mum smirked and turned a corner bringing us into sight of the bus station she was talking about. It was a depressing sight; people waited silently on the benches while numerous pigeons pecked at the ground around their feet looking for any crumbs that might have been dropped. Everything was grey and drab; the total opposite of Leadworth which was so green and bright.

"I missed the last bus home... I had to get there somehow." She explained, her eyes twinkling.

Shaking my head, I sighed theatrically. "And to think of all the hassle you gave me when I borrowed gramps' bike that time and crashed it into the wall."

Mum just laughed, not answering. We headed along the road and onto a sort of Square with a market in it. People bustled around, looking harassed and irritated. Behind us was a very busy pub and to the right was a large department store. There seemed to be people everywhere. Following an obviously familiar path, Mum headed straight ahead and into a shopping arcade. She sighed loudly as I paused to look in shop windows, obviously keen to get somewhere.

"What?" I demanded as she very obviously glanced at her watch when I stopped outside Primark, looking at the clothes on display in the window.

She tugged my hand and pulled me out of the arcade and across to an area outside wordlessly. I glanced down, unimpressed, at whatever it was that she was attempting to interest me in.

"What is it?" I asked after a moment of staring down at the stone beneath my feet. A large sheet of glass covered a hole in the ground in the middle of the street, underneath which seemed to be a load of stone.

Mum sighed and rolled her eyes. "It's the ruins of some of the Roman buildings that were here when the city was first founded in AD 97 by the Roman Emperor Nerva and called Colonia Glevum Nervensis. Well… that's the official story. The truth is that Emperor Nerva uncovered a Silurian tribe when they started building the city. A great war lasting many years started until it was stopped. Obviously the Doctor was involved, although I don't know if he was more of a help or a hindrance in the end."

Far from impressed by the history lesson, I sighed. "Did you just bring me here to lecture me?"

"No!" Mum said, slightly too quickly to be believable. "I brought you here to show you where we used to spend our weekends and holidays as teenagers."

"You voluntarily came here?" I replied, looking around at the vaguely depressing sight around us.

"When you're largely confined to Leadworth as a teenager, this is a metropolis, believe me." Mum informed me seriously. Then she smiled. "It isn't all Roman ruins, you know."

"So can we go shopping?" I asked hopefully.

"After we've been to the Cathedral." She agreed, pulling me away from the Roman ruins and along the street.

I sighed as we passed the shops and cafes, pausing for a moment at a cross roads where four streets met; Northgate, Eastgate, Southgate and Westgate. Mum told me that it was called 'The Cross', ignoring me rolling my eyes and muttering sarcastically about people coming up with such inventive names. Heading straight over the crossroad, we made our way along Westgate street and I felt my stomach rumble as we passed McDonalds.

Mum noticed my gaze fixed on the restaurant and sighed. "After we've been to the Cathedral." She repeated.

"I don't want to see a boring old cathedral!" I complained as we continued down the street, heading down a small alleyway that I hadn't noticed until Mum turned into it. "When you've seen one, you've seen them all. And I bet it's not as good as the Cathedral of Catalanopos on Skaa?"

Just before we reached the end I spotted a sign above one of the tiny shops that read, 'The House of the Tailor of Gloucester'. Inside seemed to be some sort of Beatrix Potter museum. I paused, interested by the shop because the Doctor had insisted on reading the stories of Beatrix Potter to me when I was younger. According to him she was a fascinating woman, although she wasn't strictly human, which was why she could understand the animals who spoke to her. Then I screwed up my face and walked under the archway, which Mum informed me was called St Michael's Gate, and out of the alley.

"This is the Cathedral." Mum told me, unnecessarily as we walked towards the building. In spite of all my complaints I couldn't deny that it was a beautiful building. "Isn't it amazing? There's been a place of worship here since the Anglo-Saxon Prince Osric founded a religious house here in 678 AD. He was a lovely guy… had a strange taste in clothes though; only wore grey. Serlo, a monk from Mont St Michel in Normandy started on this particular building in 1089. He was incredibly flirty for a monk, although I think he preferred the Doctor to me. Somewhere in the Crypt there's a statue that bears an uncanny resemblance to him."

"Who? The Doctor?" I asked reluctantly, not wanting to appear too interested in the building. As I looked up at the carved ceiling, I was unable to stop my mouth falling open, however.

"Yeah… Don't remind him, though." She smiled and glanced around, slightly glassy eyed. "When we were at school we had our Carol Concerts here." Mum told me, lowering her voice as a man frowned at us. "It was absolutely freezing and we'd have to sit here for hours."

I looked around, trying to imagine sitting on the hard wooden chairs for any length of time. "That sounds so boring."

"It was." She agreed. "One time, your Gran and I decided that we'd join the choir for a laugh. That meant that we got to stay in a side room through most of the service until it was time for the choir to go on and do their bit. We got bored about half way through and decided to go exploring. Sadly our head of year caught us running around in the cloisters and we spent the first two weeks of the next term in detention."

I grinned. "Really?"

"Yeah... Apparently it wasn't 'appropriate behaviour for the setting'." She said, putting on an overly posh voice as she quoted her former teacher.

I grinned and shook my head, looking around for a moment. Then I sighed. "Can we go shopping now?"

Mum sighed. "I try and introduce you to culture, but it's absolutely no use, is it?"

"Nope. Give me McDonalds and a shopping centre any day."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello lovelies! **_

_**The inspiration for this chapter came from flicking through the 2013 Doctor Who Annual, which my little cousins bought me for my birthday, and spotting something about Gloucester Bus Station in it. Gloucester Bus Station is, much to my shame, somewhere I spent far too much time when I was a teenager – and Gloucester really is as depressing as I made out… probably worse.**_

_**Anyway, I borrowed the school Carol Concerts at Gloucester Cathedral from my own school days and, yes, I did end up in detention when I was fifteen for running around the Cloisters during a concert with my best mate. We'd have been fine, but we didn't realise that we were totally visible to the rest of the audience… **_

_**I hope you enjoyed it, anyway! :) x**_


	186. Not-A-Gift Gift

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Not-a-Gift Gift**

_**A/N: This is a River-perspective chapter :)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: -

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: December 2007

* * *

><p><em><strong>The TARDIS landed with a bump in Roald Dhal Plass, the final sparks of energy being used to bring them to Cardiff so that they could refuel from the rift. The Doctor opened the door, poking his head out and taking a deep, theatrical breath and enthusing about the quality of the Welsh air.<strong>_

_**River emerged moments later, a bundle held tightly in her arms, snuffling slightly as she bounced it in her arms. Glancing down to check that her daughter was wrapped up tightly enough against the cold, the woman urged the Time Lord towards the secret lift. They stood on the spot and descended slowly into the Hub.**_

* * *

><p>"River?" Jack emerged from his office and beamed broadly as he realised who was entering the Torchwood Hub. Laughing, he made his way down the stairs into the main part of the room and threw open his arms to hug me. Frowning as I batted his arms away, the man turned to the Doctor instead. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"<p>

"The TARDIS needs to refuel." The Doctor explained, looking around interestedly and picking up several objects that were lying around in his eye line. I sighed loudly, rolling my eyes at his child-like excitement at the sight of shiny new objects to play with and, presumably, damage. "Oooh!"

"And we have something to give you, Jack." I informed him, nudging the Time Lord in the ribs and making him jump.

He coughed nervously and retreated to stand beside me once more. "Oh, yes, well…"

"Is it my Christmas present?" Jack asked eagerly, leaping forward to see what I was carrying in my arms. I flapped at him with one hand, preventing him from plucking at the blanket wrapped around my daughter. "What is it?"

"It's a gift… but it's not a gift..." The Doctor told him slowly.

I sighed exasperatedly. Getting the Doctor to ask a simple question was far more difficult that it should have been. "Jack, meet our daughter, Evie Song."

"Y-Your...? Woah!"

"Yeah..." The Doctor agreed. Catching my eye, he coughed and rubbed the back of his neck, blushing slightly.

"I'm guessing you're not here to give me your daughter?" Jack clarified, slightly amused by the notion. Catching the expression on my face, he paled slightly and looked wildly between the Doctor and me. "You're not, are you?"

"Of course not, Jack." I assured him quickly, sighing at the stupidity of his question.

The Doctor glanced at me for a moment, before screwing up his face slightly as he thought. "Ahh… It's more of a question, than a gift… What we wanted to ask you was..."

"Will you be her Godfather?" I asked him, fixing the man with a hard stare.

Jack looked stunned. "Me? Her Godfather? Are you sure?"

"Why not?" Beside me, the Doctor seemed genuinely confused by the question.

Chuckling softly, he folded his arms and shrugged. "Or, why?"

I smiled. Unlike Evie's father, I had guessed that Jack would question our decision. He wouldn't be the ever slightly suspicious Captain Jack Harkness, head of Torchwood Three, if he hadn't. "You understand how our lives work; there would never be any issue with you being surprised if you were at Evie's tenth birthday one day, changing her nappy the next and then... I don't know... taking her shopping in M&S for orthopaedic shoes the day after that."

"Orthopaedic shoes?" The Doctor and Jack scoffed as one.

I rolled my eyes. "Another reason is that you can't die; who better to leave in charge of mine and the Doctor's daughter."

"You're not planning on giving her a gun or anything for her first birthday, are you?" Jack asked, looking slightly alarmed at the prospect.

"Of course not!" The Doctor told him at once. Then he frowned slightly and turned to me, using what he obviously assumed was an authoritative tone. "We're not, River."

"Of course we're not, dear." I agreed with an innocent smile. The Doctor looked more concerned at that. "And thirdly, we trust you to look after her, Jack. Between us we've managed to annoy pretty much every race in the Universe. Evie is going to need someone looking after her and who else is there better than you? I'd trust you with the most precious thing in my life, which is why I want you to be Evie's Godfather."

"Ahh, Ms Song, I knew you liked me deep down… even if it is _very_ deep down." Jack chuckled.

I frowned, not understanding what he meant. "Of course I like you, Jack. What are you talking about?"

"Don't worry..." He started. Then he realised that I wasn't about to let it drop and sighed, thinking about how to elaborate. "One day something will happen and you'll decide that you don't like me. At all. To the point where you'll kill me several times over. It'll blow over and all the misunderstandings will be worked out, though." He explained with a broad, cheeky grin which made me roll my eyes. "As you'd say, spoilers, Sweetie."

"Don't be clever, Captain Harkness, it doesn't suit you." I replied calmly, arching an eyebrow. Inside, however, I was a seething mass of questions. In the unlikely event that Jack decided to answer them, the Doctor would never allow it. "So? Do you accept the challenge?"

"That depends."

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor sighed and waved his hands around. "On what?"

"Whether I get to hold my new Goddaughter anytime soon?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>This chapter was written after a prompt from, and as a birthday present to, <strong>__**NaviRebel16**__**! She wanted me to write: **_'How Jack becomes Evie's godfather/ meets baby Evie for the first time.'

_**I hope you all enjoyed it and HAPPY BIRTHDAY DARLING!**_

**_As always, THANK YOU for reading/reviewing/favouriting/alerting. You guys are truly brilliant._**

_**x**_


	187. Christmas Chaos

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Christmas Chaos**

Age: 51

Location: Chiswick, London, Earth

Date: December 25th 2023

* * *

><p>The usual chaos that surrounded Christmas morning was in full swing. Somehow I'd been talked into having everyone over to our house for the day. At first I'd complained, especially as (technically) I'm three years older than Donna and didn't see why I should have to host Christmas. But Mum had reminded me that Donna and Jack's house was smaller than mine and promised to help me with all the preparations and clearing up afterwards. In reality she had turned up last night with Dad, both laden with presents and almost as excited as my daughter, when everything was virtually done.<p>

Jessica and Dad had been up at what felt like the crack of dawn. Moments after the twelve-year-old leapt back onto my bed, dragging her stocking of presents with her, we heard the back door open and the sound of my parents making their way through the kitchen and into the living room. I had offered them a bed in the house, but they preferred to stay in the TARDIS. It was actually a good thing because at the last minute Auntie Sarah, Luke and Sky had changed their minds and accepted my invitation to join us for Christmas. I hadn't been expecting Luke's latest girlfriend, Emma, as well, but managed to hide my surprise as we were introduced on the doorstep.

I was incredibly glad that Dad had got me such a big house, even if sometimes I felt as though I rattled around in it. With Gran and Gramps in one spare room, Auntie Sarah in another, Luke and Emma in the third and Sky in Jessica's room, there really wasn't room for anyone else. Although, I realised it was highly likely that that theory would be tested later on.

Wrapping myself in a blanket, I allowed Jessica to pull me downstairs where we joined Mum and Dad in the living room. Not long after we'd settled ourselves on the sofa, Gran, Gramps, Sarah Jane and Sky appeared, closely followed by Luke and Emma. Within minutes my living room was a sea of wrapping paper as everyone ripped open the presents in their Christmas stockings. Leaving Mum, Gran and Auntie Sarah to coordinate the clearing up before the rest of the family descended on us, I headed upstairs to get dressed, before going into the kitchen to start on the dinner.

In no time at all the doorbell rang and I heard Jessica racing to open it, shouting excitedly that it was Nan and Granddad Wilf. No sooner were they settled in the living room – Nan with a glass of wine (because drinking alcohol at ten in the morning on Christmas Day is perfectly acceptable) and Gramps with a whisky – than the doorbell rang again and my daughter rushed off once more. She reached new levels of excitement as she opened the door to Donna, Jack and their family. In the kitchen I was extremely glad I was slightly protected from the over-excited children, although within minutes the door flew open and Hannah rushed at me, hugging me tightly.

Thankfully, Gran and Donna joined me to help with the cooking. It would have been pointless for Mum to offer, as she was even worse than me in the kitchen. Finally lunch was ready and everyone gathered around the table; the children at one end and the adults at the other. It was a free for all with plates passed out and everyone helping themselves to food. Lots of conversations were happening at once, with everyone talking over each other and laughing happily. Every now and then the bang of a cracker would cut through the conversations and a fresh peal of laughter and chorus of groans would ripple around as the joke was read out.

"Is it present time now?" Jessica demanded as I moved past her with an armful of dirty plates. "Mum?"

"Sweetheart, we're waiting for Auntie Martha and Uncle Mickey before doing presents, you know that." I reminded her, slightly distractedly. "Besides, Granddad Wilf doesn't like us doing presents until after the King's speech."

"The King's speech is boring, though."

I smiled. "I know, but since you almost killed most of King Charles' plants I think you owe him to sit through his speech without complaining."

With a loud, overdramatic sigh, Jessica flounced off to re-join the others in the living room. I could hear her complaining from the kitchen and smiled fondly, chuckling and shaking my head. Moments later, Jenny appeared through the door. She placed another pile of plates on the counter beside me and picked up a tea towel.

"Your daughter isn't exactly the shy, retiring type, is she?" Jenny asked with a smirk.

Laughing, I shook my head. "No, your niece isn't."

While we were finishing clearing up, we heard the front door and Martha, Mickey and their children being ushered into the living room. Then we heard Wilf calling for quiet and the sound of the National Anthem. Jenny and I grinned at each other, before dropping the tea towels on the kitchen counters and heading through to join the others. We sat in silence while the King talked about the past year and, when the speech finished, Gramps saluted proudly.

Then it was time for presents. If I'd thought that the sea of wrapping paper created by the stocking presents was bad it was nothing to the mess that came with the unwrapping of the rest of the presents that had been lying around. Within minutes there was rubbish everywhere. I could hardly hear myself think with conversations and laughter and shouts of thanks mingling around the room.

I grinned; this was Christmas.

x-x

"You do know that this isn't real snow, don't you?" Dad asked later that evening as I gazed out of the window, savouring the brief moment of quiet.

As I had predicted, Martha and Mickey had decided to stay over at Donna and Jack's when Gwen, Rhys and their children had arrived just after teatime. The children, however, had decided to have a huge sleepover here, so Sarah Jane had gone to stay with Nan and Granddad Wilf and Luke, Emma and Sky were and Gran and Gramps'. I thought I had got the rough end of the deal; nine children between fourteen and five, all hyped up on too much chocolate and excitement. Somehow deciding that it was his fault, I had ordered Dad to stay and help, along with Mum and Jenny for moral support.

I glanced up and smiled wryly at him. "Shut up! Don't spoil it!"

"I'm just saying–"

"Well don't!" Mum ordered softly, coming to join us at the window. We all glanced upwards as there was a loud thud from upstairs and then a lot of laughter. I could hear Jenny's laugh mixed in with the children's.

Then our attention turned back to the scene outside and, for a couple of moments, we just stood and watched. Then I sighed as my curiosity got the better of me. "What is it then? If it's not real snow, what is it?"

"In a month or so, we're going to go back to Christmas Eve and be forced to destroy a Repuluion Battle Ship. That is the ash from the burning crafts." Dad replied matter of factly.

"I wish I hadn't asked." I muttered, rolling my eyes. "I'm just going to pretend you never said that and it is real snow. Snow's better than the ash of a burning Repuluion Battle Ship anyday, isn't it? I mean, there's nothing harmful about snow."

"Well–"

"Don't start about the killer snowmen and the governess made of ice." Mum warned, sending a wink in my direction. "You know we don't believe any of that story."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I hope you all had a BRILLIANT Christmas and enjoyed Doctor Who! I definitely did (after re-watching it while NOT in a room with 15 other, very noisy, people)!**_

_**Anyway, I totally meant to upload this for you as a Christmas present from me, but I just didn't get time to write it until now! So have it as a belated present! **_

_**I hope you enjoy it! x**_


	188. Pops

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Pops**

Age: 40

Location: The TARDIS

Date: -

* * *

><p>Mum was off on an archaeological expedition with some of her students from the Luna University. Every time she went off, she shot me a half-disappointed look and I knew that she was thinking about the fact that she had wanted me to follow in her footsteps and go to University too. But I was perfectly happy the way I was, thank you very much.<p>

Gran and Gramps were at a Wedding in Scotland – apparently Gran's cousin's daughter's uncle's wife's son was getting married. Or something like that. I'd lost interest halfway through the conversation; as soon as she started talking about fabrics and colour schemes. Gramps had sent me a similarly bored look and stifled a yawn as his wife talked.

Donna and Jack had taken their children, Sylvia and Wilf on holiday. Sarah Jane, Luke and Sky were at a convention somewhere in America. Jenny was… who knew where Jenny was.

This meant that my only hope of not going stir crazy on my own looking after a nine-month-old was Dad. I groaned at the thought. He wasn't handling being a grandfather particularly well; especially now he knew who Jessica's father really was. So far he'd largely avoided spending any time with her and never volunteered to look after her on his own. I was slightly hurt that, even after reminding him that Jessica was my daughter and would never have anything to do with the Master, he still couldn't see past the fact that I had, in his eyes, betrayed him.

Making up my mind quickly, I gathered up our things and flipped open the cover of the Vortex Manipulator, locking onto the TARDIS' signal. I wouldn't normally use the Vortex Manipulator with Jessica, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

"What are you doing here?" Dad demanded, sounding a little irritated that I'd just popped in without any warning.

"I thought you might like the chance to spend some time with your daughter and favourite grandchild." I told him calmly, setting Jessica's carrier down on the floor of the console room. She giggled at the vibrations that the TARDIS emitted.

"She's my only grandchild." Dad pointed out, pouting slightly.

"Exactly." I agreed. With a grin, I unclipped Jessica from the carrier and bounced her on my hip for a moment, moving around the console and glancing at the readings on the scanner. "Where are we, anyway?"

He shrugged, leaning on the console and folding his arms. "Just South of the Meen Peninsular. So you need to leave, because this is far too dangerous for a baby."

"The Meen Peninsular?" I asked, an idea forming in my head. Pushing Jessica into his arms, I flipped the cover in the Vortex Manipulator again. "That reminds me I need to go and…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Doctor stared at the spot where his daughter had just been standing. Then he glanced down at the toddler in his arms and pulled a face. At once Jessica started laughing, reaching up and tugging on the floppy hair that fell over his face as he looked at her. Frowning, he held her at arm's length and looked around, almost desperately.<strong>_

"_**Ahh… this is… umm… OK." Moving across the floor, he put Jessica in the carrier and fumbled with the buckle for a moment, unable to understand how it worked. Finally it clicked closed and he straightened up. "Right… you… stay there and… amuse yourself. I've got extremely very important things to do that don't involve babies."**_

_**Jessica blinked up at him, her bottom lip wobbling. She screwed her eyes closed and burst into anguished sobs, her tiny fists beating against the sides of her carrier. The Doctor turned on the spot several times, looking wildly around for something to stop her crying with.**_

"_**Don't do that… no… oh!" He glanced upwards, arguing with the TARDIS. "I know that, old girl, but how do you stop it? There isn't an off switch!" Tentatively, the Doctor took several steps towards the carrier on the ground. As the volume of Jessica's crying increased, he jumped backwards. "This is annoying; very annoying! How am I supposed to… Oh, shut up you!"**_

_**Closing his eyes, he fumbled with the buckle on the carrier again, wincing at the screams that were now being emitted from his tiny granddaughter's mouth. He couldn't believe that something with such small lungs could make so much noise. As soon as Jessica was out of the carrier and being bounced hesitantly in his arms, she stopped crying. Opening her eyes, she turned her blotchy face in his direction and pouted.**_

"_**Hello…" The Doctor murmured awkwardly. **_

"_**Hi Pops!" Jessica replied. **_

_**Her grandfather blinked. He might have relatively low levels of practical experience with small children, but he had a very great knowledge of the milestones of child development. At nine months his granddaughter should have just been making noises. Then he remembered that Evie had been exactly the same. She'd been able to walk and talk fluently by fifteen months. He expected that Jessica was even more advanced with her double dose of Gallifreyan DNA.**_

"_**So… what d'you want to do?" He looked around. "Can you read? There are lots of children's books in the library…"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Well… I think the doll's house Rory made your Mum is still in her bedroom if you want to play with that?"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**You can watch me fixing the dimensional breaks if you want?"**_

"_**No."**_

"_**Do you always say no?"**_

_**She thought for a minute and then grinned. "No."**_

_**The Doctor grinned back and pointed at her. "Good answer."**_

"_**Mum said secret garden?" Jessica said, looking at him with her head tilted to one side. "Want see secret garden."**_

"_**The secret garden, eh?" The Doctor asked, with a broad smile. "I think we can manage that. As long as you promise not to scare the wild rabbits."**_

* * *

><p>Several hours later I decided that I should probably go and check that my daughter was alright. Materialising in the console room, I mentally thanked the TARDIS for keeping an eye on things, before frowning at the suspiciously Doctor-and-Jessica-free room.<p>

"Where are they, old girl? I've got nothing to be concerned about, have I?" I asked hesitantly. In answer, the Matrix nudged my mind, directing me towards the TARDIS' garden. "As long as he doesn't tell Jess she can keep a rabbit..."

"Mummy!" Jessica's voice greeted me as I turned the corner in the corridor that led to the garden and found myself face to face with Dad and the toddler. In her arms she was clutching a rather alarmed looking rabbit. "Look Pops gived me!"

"Great…" I exclaimed sarcastically. "Just what we need." With a sigh I smiled. "So, did you enjoy yourselves?"

"Yes!" They chorused.

I held out my arms. "Good, I'm glad. Now, say goodbye, Jessie. We should leave Pops to get on with… whatever it is he does around here."

Dad's face fell. "You're going? So soon? We were just about to make some fish custard."

"Oh… in that case, count me in!" I agreed with a grin, even willing to face fish fingers in custard seeing as it seemed that Dad and Jessica had bonded.

* * *

><p><em><strong>PixieKindOfCrazy; We need something with The Doctor playing the grandfather role.<strong>_

_**the frozen cherry; I would love to see a chapter about how the Doctor feels about Evie and the Master, and what it makes him feel about his grandchild or any chapter involving Evie and baby Jess in general as it would be interesting to see Evie as a mother**_


	189. Sick

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Sick**

Age: 15

Location: Stormcage

Date: 5141 AD

* * *

><p>"Evie! Evie!"<p>

I rolled over on my bed and groaned. Pulling myself out from under the warmth of the covers I swung my legs out into the cold and padded over to Mum's bed. She had kicked her covers off her completely, but there was still a thin sheen of sweat on her face, her hair damp from it. With a sigh, I crouched beside the bed and felt her forehead with the back of my hand.

"Can you get me a drink, please?" Mum asked pathetically.

Nodding, I turned away and rolled my eyes. Moving to the sink, I filled a glass with water and wet the flannel that was draped over the side, ringing it out so that it wasn't too wet. Handing her the glass, I helped Mum sit up so that she could drink. Then I pressed the flannel to her head, trying to cool her down a little. When I removed it, she was still as hot as before and she'd also warmed the fabric up.

"How long does this bug usually last?" I asked, returning to the sink to wet the flannel once more.

"It depends – anywhere between two days and two weeks." She told me with a weak cough. "And it's not a bug; it's an infection I contracted in the Delta Plains on Septarius Nine. But if you tell the Doctor that, I will deny it and then I will kill you."

"Great." I muttered. "I might just…"

"No calling the Doctor to come and pick you up." Mum ordered, knowing exactly what I was thinking. "I looked after you for fifteen years so you can look after me for a while." Groaning, I took the glass out of her hand as she slipped back into a lying down position and closed her eyes. "Can I have a cuddle?"

I complained at her request, but not too much. She was ill, after all. At least she wasn't contagious, I decided, climbing into the bed beside Mum and settling down to get some sleep.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Last update of 2012!**_

_**Thank you so much for all your support this year, guys! Happy New Year and see you on the other side! :)**_

_**x**_

_**Prompt from: Anastasia Dove; Stormcage can get some type of virus contracted into it and River gets it and Evie has to take care of her or something. Or you can ignore the Stormcage bit and just have River get sick.**_

_**I know it's short, but I thought it was quite cute :)**_


	190. Because of Reasons

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Because of Reasons**

Age: 22

Location: Qeprow Five, Boeshane Peninsular

Date: 78.0/17N

* * *

><p>I'd been having headaches for a while and they'd been getting worse for a couple of days. I could tell that Mum and Dad were getting worried about them. The whispered conversations that stopped as soon as I arrived in their vicinity were a giveaway, as was the fact that Dad had been using the TARDIS to scan me and do medical checks. Neither of them were admitting that anything of the sort was going on, however, which was driving me mad.<p>

All that came to an end when, with a white hot pain, I blacked out.

When I came round I was in the TARDIS' medical bay. Mum sat on one side of me, holding my hand, while Dad pottered around the room messing with various machines and instruments. I blinked and then closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the strength returning to my body.

"This has gone on long enough, Doctor!" Mum was hissing furiously. "How many times can you wipe her memory before you do some serious damage?"

"Have you forgotten that it was your idea in the first place?" Dad replied tensely. "You were the one who said she should forget."

"Well clearly you didn't do it properly!"

"River! Is it any wonder Evie's mind is fighting against it? She spent three years in that place. You saw for yourself the bond she created with those children."

"That's not–" Mum started angrily.

Feeling much more like myself, I struggled to sit up. At once both their eyes snapped towards me; fear and anxiety flickering across their faces as they realised that I must have heard their conversation. Silence fell for a moment as Mum and Dad exchanged a wary glance. Then Mum smiled and set about smoothing my sheets and pushing my hair away from my face. Dad busied himself collecting various medical instruments.

"Evie, sweetie, how are you feeling now?" Mum asked lightly. "Your father thinks you must have caught a bug when we stopped off on Tuun."

"Nothing serious." Dad agreed with a smile. "All sorted now."

"Why are you lying to me?" I asked, causing them both to look at me quickly.

Mum laughed nervously. "Lying? We're not?"

"You are!" I shouted at her, unable to control the intense anger that flashed through me at her denial. "You're lying about… children? What children?"

As the words left my mouth a searing pain shot through my head and I gasped. Mum ignored my hands swatting at her and trying to push her away and wrapped her arms around me tightly, staring at the Doctor in alarm.

"Doctor! Do something!"

"No!" I shouted, gritting my teeth as the pain intensified. "No!"

And then, almost as quickly as it had started, the pain stopped. The fog that had accompanied the pain in my head cleared suddenly and I knew exactly what they were talking about. I bit the inside of my lip, tears springing to my eyes at the full extent of what I'd lost hit me.

"Where are they?" I asked quietly; my voice low and containing a clear warning that I wasn't about to be fobbed off. "Where are my children?!"

"Evie… they're not–" Mum started gently.

Dad cut her off. "The Boeshane Peninsular. Qeprow Five."

As Mum glared at him furiously, I frowned. "The Boeshane Peninsular? That's where Uncle Jack's from, isn't it?"

He nodded. "Yes. Since the wars ended it's one of the safest places I could think of to take the children."

Hauling myself out of the bed I left the room wordlessly. Behind me I could hear Mum hissing angrily at Dad, him retorting equally agitatedly. They followed me into my room and tried to talk to me as I hunted through my things and readied myself to leave the TARDIS. Tying my hair up out of the way I grabbed my jacket off the back of the chair and strode out of my bedroom in the direction of the Console Room.

"Evie… where are you going?" Mum asked worriedly. "Sweetie… going after them won't… what are you going to do?"

"I don't know!" I shouted at her, my eyes flashing dangerously as I fiddled with the settings on my Vortex Manipulator. "But it's my decision, not yours. You had absolutely no right to do that; either of you."

With a final glare at my parents, I vanished. I materialised on a beach. The wind was blowing softly, but warm air rather than cold. Behind me I could hear the soft sound of waves moving over the sand under my feet. Crouching down, I scooped up a handful of the material and let it run through my fingers slowly.

Throwing down the sand left in my hand and rubbing my hands to remove the final grains that were still clinging on, I started towards the sand dunes ahead of me. It was further than it looked and the soft ground beneath my feet shifted as I walked, making it even more difficult. My anger was slowly dissipating, replaced by a slight sense of despair. I wondered about the children… I wondered how they were getting on; whether they remembered me, whether they missed me.

Just as I reached the highest peak of the sand dunes my eyes fell on a familiar blue box and the anger settled in my chest again. Narrowing my eyes I sped up, intending to give my parents another piece of my mind for following me. Reaching the TARDIS, I hammered on the door with my fist. Why the idea of just using my key didn't occur to me I wasn't sure, but it didn't and I stood with my hands on my hips waiting for the door to be opened. When it was flung open I was slightly taken aback by the sight that greeted me.

"Evie!" Gran grinned, grabbing me by the wrist and pulling me inside. She looked over her shoulder. "Doctor? Evie's here!"

"Ahhh! Who else would knock so angrily?" The Doctor reasoned, appearing from underneath the console and wiping his hands on a dirty looking cloth. "Brilliant timing, as always."

I did a quick assessment to try and work out where they were on their timelines. Seeing no rings on Gran's wedding finger, I assumed that this was early for them. "What's happening? Why does he look so guilty?"

"There may have been an incident."

"What kind of incident?" I asked, sighing. Then a thought hit me and I frowned. "What are you doing here? The Boeshane Peninsular is going through a period of peace… you better not have messed that up."

"No, no, no…" He assured me quickly. "We just landed here afterwards; haven't even been outside."

"So what is it, then?"

"Well… we'd just left Winston Churchill after defeating the Daleks," Amy informed me, grinning with excitement, "when this idiot decided that he was going to trip and press a random button. We've lost half of the rooms; including your bedroom."

I frowned, wondering whether this was a moment that was fixable or not. Then again, I reasoned, I'd just left my bedroom at some point in the future, so obviously they managed to get it back. Thinking, I suddenly remembered an incident not too long ago when the Doctor had managed to eject the library with Mum inside it.

Moving past him to the control panel I sighed and started tapping at keys. He growled as I touched his precious machine, but said nothing as Amy sent him a warning glare. Seeing where the problem was, I grinned and glanced over my shoulder.

"It's just a technical hitch." I explained, relishing the fact that the Doctor was looking furious. "You haven't actually ejected the rooms; they're just stored in the mainframe. You moved them from reality to virtual space when you hit this button here."

The Doctor moved to my side to see which button I was pointing at. He frowned as I indicated a large, round, green button with a silver blob in the centre. "What's that button even for?" He snapped.

"It's the virtual-reality capacity modulator." I informed him with a broad grin. "Don't worry about it, dear, you're still learning."

Amy laughed delightedly at the expression that crossed the Doctor's face at my words. "You are speechless! Evie… please don't leave. Ever!"

"Sorry, doll. I've got somewhere to be."

She pouted at me. "Where?"

"There's something I need to do."

Her eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at me hard. The Doctor had moved away to check the TARDIS systems, not trusting that I hadn't caused any damage to the mainframes and Amy leant closer. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…"

"Evie… something's obviously bothering you, but don't do anything rash." She advised. I briefly wondered how she knew that there was something the matter. I pushed the thought away, taking it as one of those strange moments the universe threw at you to remind you that you weren't in sole control of your life. "Take a while to think things through." She glanced up as the Doctor moved towards us, satisfied that I hadn't damaged anything. "Besides, the Doctor keeps promising to take me to this entertainment planet and it'll be much more fun with you there. What d'you say?"

I sighed and smiled. "Alright… a couple of days thinking time won't hurt."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Oh my goodness… what is this?! An update?!**_

_**I'm so sorry it's been so long. I'm useless! I hope you enjoy this, anyway! **_

_**The chapter was from a prompt from Shaybo27: **__**One thing I kinda hope that'll be in Evie's Diary is her finding out about her 'kids'. I can imagine it being a BIG emotional confrontation with the Doctor and her mom. I can just imagine, after blowing up at them, she meets up with a younger, clueless Doctor that needs her help. I don't know why, but this situation keeps popping into my head. And along with some long and complicated reason as to why she can't have the children living with her...**_


	191. Collapsible Trowel

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Collapsible Trowel**

Age: 13

Location: Leadworth, Earth

Date: September 2024 AD

* * *

><p>"Evie Song you are doing my head in!" Mum shouted, storming from the TARDIS kitchen, where I was sitting at the table, towards the Console Room, where the Doctor had vanished at the first hint of an argument breaking out. "Doctor, head for Leadworth… her grandparents can deal with her for a while!"<p>

"That's so unfair!" I shouted, leaping out of my seat and running through the corridors after her. "The Doctor said we could go to Dresterburus Eleven! I want to see the Cloud Fountains and the Fimper Trees."

"I don't care!"

"Doctor!" I shrieked, hearing a clunk from the Console Room as he obviously jumped. "Tell her she can't do this!"

"I… err… listen to your mother." He ordered weakly.

I glared at him, folding my arms and stamping my feet. "You're an idiot."

"Evie!" Mum snapped. When the Doctor made no move to input the coordinates for my Grandparents' house, she growled and moved to the controls to do it herself. "Right… you'd better behave for Mum and Dad or we'll be having serious words."

"Eurgh, you're such a sket…" I muttered, dropping onto the chair beside the console.

At once Mum whirled around, her eyes flashing and her arms crossing over her chest. "Excuse me?!"

"Right, well, we're here!" The Doctor announced, panicking. He leapt towards me, dragging me from the chair and propelling me towards the doors. "I'll drop her off at your parents'. Any message?"

Neither of us caught her last words as the doors closed behind us. "She's ridiculous."

"No, she's your Mum." He reminded me. "She's not your friend. When you do things like steal artefacts from ancient collections or set fire to buildings then she has to punish you."

"Firstly, I stole those things for her. Secondly, that fire was a complete accident; as she knows. Thirdly, go and find the rest of the dwarfs and leave me alone."

He frowned after me as I stamped towards the back door of Gran and Gramps' house. "Oi! Stop with the Seven Dwarfs jokes! I am not Doc!"

Not bothering to turn around, I simply waved a hand over my head at him, signifying that he could leave. As I knocked on the kitchen door, I heard the familiar sound of the TARDIS dematerialising behind me. Clearly the Doctor and Mum were keen to get on with whatever adventure they had planned. I knew that they had a list of places to visit when I was otherwise engaged, but it didn't bother me too much because they tended to be boring archaeological sites or ways for the Doctor to keep score against the universe.

"Evie!" Gran smiled at me, pulling me into a tight hug as soon as she opened the door and saw me standing outside. "What've you done now, eh, sweetie?"

"What makes you think I've done something?" I asked, pouting and hoisting myself up onto the kitchen counter.

Gran walked past, pushing me off as she went, switching the kettle on. "Because there's no sign of your Mother or the Doctor. They deposit you here when you've done something wrong."

"Yeah, well… it wasn't my fault."

"It never is!" She laughed, planting a kiss on the top of my head. "Take this into the living room, would you? Gramps is trying to explain the new electronic chess game he bought to your Granddad Brian."

"My who?" I asked, frowning in confusion as Gran handed me a cake tin.

"Your Granddad Brian? Gramps' Dad?" At the expression on my face she frowned, removed the cake tin from my grasp and propelled me through the door into the living room. "Evie, this is your Granddad Brian."

I stared at the man in confusion. He glanced at me briefly, before returning his attention to the chess board on the table between him and Gramps. "Afternoon, favourite great-grandchild. So… you press this button here, you say?"

"So… Great-Granddad." I muttered, tilting my head slightly as I considered him. Then I shrugged. "Fair enough."

Ruffling Gramps' hair as I passed, I settled myself on the sofa next to Granddad Brian and watched as the two men played the game. It took a couple of moments for me to understand how the electronic part worked, but significantly less time than it took my Great-Grandfather. Between us we beat Gramps in record time. He frowned as the game beeped loudly, announcing that he was a loser and muttered about going to make a cup of tea before he disappeared into the kitchen.

"So, Evie," Brian said, fixing me with a serious look, "have you taken my advice and incorporated a collapsible trowel into your survival kit?"

"Survival kit?"

"You still haven't made yourself a survival kit?" He tutted with a sigh. "I thought we went through this? It was just after I got back from Thailand. You made a list and everything; collapsible trowel, med-pack including ice patches and painkiller darts, clean underwear."

"Yes, but… not yet, Brian." Gran told him with a smile. "How old are you, Eves? Eleven? Twelve?"

I pouted at her. "I'm almost fourteen."

"Right, thirteen. I should have guessed… you got a fringe." She agreed with a nod, perching on the arm of the sofa beside me. "So no survival kit, yet."

He looked crestfallen. "So you don't remember the Dinosaurs?"

"Sorry?"

"No, she doesn't." Gran told him hastily. "And you're not going to tell her."

"Or the little boxes?"

Shaking her head hurriedly, she sighed. "No! Spoilers!"

"Ahh…" Granddad Brian nodded and tapped his nose. "I understand. I won't say another word."

For another couple of hours we chatted. The older Williams man told us all about his latest trip, this time to Bolivia, showing us photographs of various things he'd done while he was there. A lot of the pictures, to Gran and Gramps' evident amusement, showed him eating various traditional delicacies with obvious enjoyment.

Finally, as the clock struck six, Granddad Brian announced that it was time for him to go home. With hugs all around and a final reminder to me to get a collapsible trowel and start on the survival kit, he was off. Gran shook her head, smiling fondly as we waved him goodbye.

Gran had just suggested she started on dinner, when the back door banged open and Mum's agitated voice reached out ears. I pulled a face, realising that she was in a worse mood than she had been earlier. It didn't take a genius to work out that the Doctor had done something ridiculous and/or embarrassing.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written from a prompt from The Elo: I wonder what it would be like for Evie to meet Brian Williams...**_

_**Hope you enjoy it! :D**_


	192. Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee**

Age: 55

Location: Cardiff, Wales, Earth

Date: 2027 AD

* * *

><p>I was running as fast as I could, the bomb Jack had spotted on the scanner cradled in my arms as I attempted to get it as far away from the centre of Cardiff as possible. Jack, as usual, was caught up in some crisis and so it had been left to either me or Leanne, the newest member of the team to remove the threat. On balance, it was slightly less dangerous for me, so I had refused to let the Welsh woman do it.<p>

Glancing at the timer on the device, I swore as I saw the numbers rushing down closer and closer to zero. Micro seconds before it hit the target, there was a thump beside me, Jack wrestled the object out of my grasp, winked and vanished. I stared blankly at the spot where he hand been standing seconds before sighing and trudging back the way I'd come.

It took me ages to make my way back to the Torchwood Hub. I shook my head in annoyance as, descending into the room below Roald Dhal Plass I saw my Godfather lounging in one of the desk chairs with his feet on the desk.

"You could have at least come back and given me a lift." I muttered, shrugging off my jacket and sitting at my desk.

"I could." Jack agreed with a shrug. He twisted in his chair and nodded towards the small kitchen area. "But you had a visitor and it would have been rude to leave her here alone."

I frowned and followed his gaze, spotting my daughter chatting with Leanne and Rick, the tech guy. "Why didn't you tell me Jess was here?"

"She wanted it to be a surprise!" He protested as I passed, smacking him round the head as I went. "Oww!"

"Oh, Evie… you'll need a medical after being in contact with the bomb." Yvonne, the medic, called as I passed.

Signalling that I'd be right over, as soon as I'd spoken to my daughter, I leant against the doorframe to the kitchen. "Alright, sweetie, what brings you here?"

"I got bored so Donna brought me round. Nan was nagging me like crazy." The sixteen-year-old explained with a shrug. "I was gonna go shopping with Zo, but she was meeting up with Nick and I refuse to be some weird gooseberry hanger-on."

I arched an eyebrow. "Have you told Uncle Jack about that?"

Jessica snorted with laughter. "Are you kidding? He'd do his nut if he found out his precious daughter was meeting a boy."

"Who's meeting a boy?" Jack asked, appearing behind me and making me jump.

Panicking, Jessica's mouth dropped open as she thought, before blurting out the first name that entered her mind. "Mum."

"Eh?" I demanded, frowning at her as she looked between us.

"Really?" My Godfather asked interested, raising an eyebrow and folding his arms. I glared at my daughter, knowing that Jack wouldn't drop the subject now he thought he had something new to tease me about. "Who's the lucky man?"

"It's no one!"

Jessica shook her head and I could almost see the cogs whirring in her mind. "Hang on… there is someone, isn't there?" She asked, realisation moving rapidly across her face. "You went out last night all dressed up. Where were you?"

"Just out!" I replied with a shrug.

"With who?" Jack demanded, grinning at Jessica.

I hated the fact that they were ganging up on me. I knew that this would happen the second I'd heard Jessica was in the Hub. They couldn't resist it when they got together. It was always the same, ever since my daughter was tiny. The only reason I didn't go crazy was that I knew that Jack and I had been exactly the same with my parents when I was younger.

"No one." I told them, shaking my head and retreating to the main part of the Hub. Dropping into my desk chair, I brought up the readings from the scans I'd been running while I was out. Jack perched on the surface beside me and Jessica leant over my shoulder, resting her arms on my shoulders. "Honestly."

"Like we believe you!" Jessica laughed.

"I think it's great, titch." Jack assured me, using the nickname that he'd given me when I was a child. He knew it infuriated me, which was why he still used it. "I mean, you're not getting any younger, are you?"

"Not that you can tell. You're still alright looking, Mum."

"And you deserve to have a bit of fun."

"But not too much."

"Well, no, not too much. And I'll still have to do the necessary checks."

I exhaled sharply. "This isn't MI5, Jack. Even if I was seeing someone – which I'm not – then you wouldn't have to run any sort of check."

"Not as your boss, maybe." He agreed with a shrug. "But as your Godfather and Uncle, then I definitely need to run some checks."

"And as your only daughter, I'd be fully in agreement."

"Will you two just give it a rest!" I snapped, their double act driving me mad. "You're like flamin' Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee!"

"We just want to know what's going on, Mum." Jessica told me, blinking innocently.

"There is nothing going on!"

They exchanged a knowing look. "So where were you last night, Evie?"

With a growl of frustration, I slammed the file I had picked up to distract myself from them onto the desk and glared between them. "If you really want to know, I went to see Tom, alright?"

Jack frowned. "Tom? As in your ex-fiancé, love of your life Tom?"

"That's the one." I agreed, pointedly ignoring Jessica's gasp of confusion. "But nothing interesting happened. I just wanted to see him, that's all."

"Do you do this often?"

"Sometimes… it helps me remember." I saw the smirk that was tugging at the corners of his mouth and sighed, pushing my chair backwards and standing up. "Oh, give it a rest, Jack. I am well aware of how pathetic that makes me sound."

Furious, both with myself for cracking and my Godfather and daughter for pushing the issue, I stormed over to the medical bay and announced that I was ready for my obligatory check-up. As Yvonne hooked me up to the monitors, I glanced over to where Jack and Jessica were now lounging on the sofa that ran along the wall. They were laughing their heads of at something, probably me.

* * *

><p><em><strong>As Evie flounced off in the direction of the med bay, Jack glanced at her daughter and grinned. Jessica raised an eyebrow and then shrugged, raising her hand for him to high-five her. They made their way across the floor to the sofa, dropping onto it and bursting out laughing.<strong>_

"_**I can't believe she cracked so easily!" Jessica giggled.**_

"_**Of course she did, your mother's never been able to keep secrets – even her own." Jack informed her with a shrug. "Anyway, she doesn't know we already knew where she's been sneaking off to."**_

"_**Shouldn't we do something about it? I mean, isn't she going to get hurt… at some point?"**_

_**The man shook his head, reaching for the pizza menu on the table nearby. "No, Jess. The younger Evie never knew about this. Tom told her once that he'd cheated on her, but she never knew it was with an older version of her."**_

"_**That is so weird." The teenager replied, shaking her head. **_

"_**A little." He agreed. "But actually it's perfect. Now your Mum understands what happened when she was younger. The thought that Tom would cheat on her was tearing her apart, but now she knows that he didn't. Not really."**_

_**Jessica shook her head again. "You're not actually as stupid or insensitive as you look, are you?"**_

"_**It has been said." Jack smirked, chuckling and pressing a kiss to the side of her head.**_

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter was written from a prompt from Lynzalie; 'Can we at some point have a Jessica/Jack chapter?' Hope you enjoyed it! :)**_

_**Anyway, thank you for reading and thank you to **_**The Elo**_**, **_**Misery Loves Sarah**_** and **_**Anastasia Dove**_** for your reviews! :D**_

_**I've just created a twitter to post about updates and things, so if you're interested it's TheSerenBex :)**_

_**x**_


	193. Ice Cream and Hot Sauce

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Ice Cream and Hot Sauce**

Age: 39

Location: Leadworth, England, Earth

Date: 2037

* * *

><p>I was tired of Mum telling me off for complaining about the sheer size I had grown to as my due date approached. She continuously reminded me about the aching back and swollen ankles and bizarre foods she had eaten while she was pregnant with me.<p>

"And that, my darling, is why I never did it again." She informed me, sweeping back into the kitchen with the empty glass that had been balancing on my stomach.

"That's not what Dad says!" I muttered in response. The Doctor had told me that she had wanted more children, but it just hadn't happened.

"What was that, sweetie?" She called.

"Nothing!" There was near silence for a moment, only the sounds of Mum pottering around in the kitchen reaching my ears. Then a sudden thought hit me. "Would you have liked more children?"

"Hmm?"

"Would you have wanted more children? If it hadn't been for the weird pregnancy stuff?"

She didn't answer at once. Then she appeared in my eye line, frowning at me slightly. "I think just having one child is a family trait."

"What d'you mean?" I asked, realising that she was avoiding the question.

"On the Pond side, anyway." She continued. "Both your grandparents were only children, I was an only child, you're an only child and your baby will probably be an only child."

"What about Gran and Gramps' parents?"

Mum frowned, thinking about the answer. "Your Gran's Mum had a sister, Sharon. But apart from that they were all only children too."

"Fair enough. But you still haven't answered my question. "Would you have wanted more?"

She shook her head, but I could tell she didn't mean it. "No."

I nodded weakly. "I'm starving."

"What d'you fancy? You've wanted relatively normal things until now; although I don't understand your love of those bacon crisp things. They say women have weird cravings when they're pregnant and if you ask your father he'll say that I ate some pretty odd things. He's lying, though. I never had weird cravings when I was pregnant with you."

"None?"

"Nope." She agreed, not meeting my eyes. "None at all."

I grinned, having already heard from Dad about some of the things she'd demanded; marmalade wrapped in ham, chips dipped in banana milkshake, cheese cubes smothered in melted chocolate and a cheese on toast smoothie just to name a few. He had told me that she would deny all knowledge of the delicacies, refusing to admit that she could have been tempted by such strange concoctions.

"Umm… d'you know what I could really eat about now?" I asked, wondering whether she'd turn her nose up at my request. "Ice cream."

"Ice cream? I'm sure we've got–"

"Ice cream and hot sauce."

"Hot sauce?" Mum repeated, raising her eyebrows. "Really?"

I nodded. "Mmmhmm… I really fancy ice cream and hot sauce. Maybe with some Frazzles on the side?"

Mum stared at me for a moment, before sighed deeply and heading into the kitchen to prepare my snack. I leant back on the sofa, flicking through the channels on the holoscreen and smiled triumphantly to myself.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This is from a prompt from Anastasia Dove: 'I think there needs more of Evie's pregnancy. Like other than just telling people, maybe something with weird cravings like how River was in 'Chocolate and Cheese'**_

_**If you aren't aware, Frazzles are bacon-flavoured crisp things that are made to look like rashers of bacon. They're disgusting, but so, so good! I was slightly addicted to them as a child!**_

_**Hope you enjoyed it, even though it's short! :D**_

_**x**_


	194. Recruited

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Recruited**

Age: 17

Location: Ealing, London, Earth

Date: October 2007

* * *

><p>"You're going to stay with your Auntie Sarah for a few days." The Doctor told me distractedly, fiddling with something under the console.<p>

"Why?" I demanded, folding my arms and pouting.

"Because your mother, who was supposed to be back yesterday, is still off gallivanting around Arxos Major and your grandparents are on a cruise of the Caribbean."

Shaking my head, I shrugged. "So why can't I just stay here with you?"

"Because there's somewhere I need to be and children aren't allowed."

"Yeah? Where's that then? Imaginary land?"

The Doctor scowled. "No, Evie… I have to go to the Court of the X'hala King."

"What did you do?" I asked, grinning.

"Nothing!"

"Really?"

"No! This time… I mean, it wasn't me!" Grinning broadly I raised my eyebrows, not believing him for a second. He growled in annoyance. "Right, so, we're here. Out you get."

Pouting again, I stamped towards my bedroom, threw some things into a bag and stamped back to the console room. I had absolutely no idea how long I was supposed to be staying with Auntie Sarah and there was no point asking the Doctor because, even if he gave me an answer, there was no guarantee he'd be back on time.

As I rang the doorbell, the familiar sound of the TARDIS dematerialising met my ears and then it was gone. There was a scrabbling sound and the door opened. Sarah Jane beamed at me, pulling me into a tight hug.

"The Doctor told me you were coming." She explained, ushering me inside. "He sent a message via Mr Smith."

"You got more warning than I did, then. He told me about three minutes ago!"

Sarah Jane laughed and sent me to put my things in the spare bedroom, before handing me a cup of tea. "Luke's out with some friends, but he'll be back for tea."

"Clyde and Rani?" I asked, taking a sip of my drink.

She looked confused. "Rani? No… he's with Maria."

"Maria? I don't think I've met her… what year is this?"

"2007; October." Sarah Jane informed me, watching my face carefully. She smiled as I nodded in understanding. "It must be so difficult working out what hasn't happened and what has."

"You could say that." I agreed with a shrug. "Especially the bad stuff; seeing people who have died in the future alive and well is a bit odd. You get used to it, though. And it's kind of good, because at least I get to see them again."

Giving me a hug, Sarah Jane looked at me. "I've got to pop out; I'm writing a piece on a teenager who's disappeared. D'you fancy coming with me?"

I grinned. "Definitely."

As we drove towards the house where the missing boy's mother lived, Sarah Jane filled me in on the situation. Apparently the boy – who went to school with Luke – had just disappeared without a trace and for no apparent reason three days ago. Always on the lookout for strange goings on, the journalist in Sarah Jane had kicked in and she had phoned up his mother, asking whether she could speak to her.

It was a nice house, I thought as I climbed out of the car and looked around; a nice house in a nice area. I was well aware that appearances could be deceptive, but nothing was catching my attention and screaming 'alien' at me. Apparently Sarah Jane thought the same, as she shrugged at me and led the way to the front door.

Mrs Metcalfe took us straight to her son's room. It was incredibly neat, compared to most teenage boys' rooms; although I'd only been in Tom's, Luke's and Clyde's, so I didn't really have much to compare it with.

"_This is Lance._" The woman said, holding out a photograph to Auntie Sarah.

"_Oh, thank you, Mrs Metcalf._" She said, taking it and sitting on the desk chair. I looked over her shoulder briefly at the image, before returning my attention to the bookshelf. "_I can't begin to imagine what the last three days have been like…. How you're coping._"

"_I keep thinking my head's going to break._" The woman admitted. "_That's what it feels like. I'm on edge every minute… thinking that he'll walk up the path or the police'll knock on the door and tell me…_"

Sarah Jane leant forwards quickly, obviously wanting to reassure her. "_Children do turn up safe and sound. There's still every chance. Someone may have seen something important without knowing it. My story might make them realise that and come forward._"

"_I hope so…_" She glanced at me quickly. "Do you know him from school?"

"Lance?" I asked, although it was obvious who she meant. I shook my head. "No… I don't go to Park Vale… my cousin does, though… Luke?"

Mrs Metcalf nodded. "I'm sure he's mentioned a Luke…"

"_Has anything like this happened before?_" Sarah Jane asked, glancing at me quickly. "_I mean… Lance has never run away after an argument?_"

"I was always running away after arguing with my Mum." I told the woman, trying to reassure her that she wouldn't necessarily get bad news.

"_We never argue. Me and Lance… we've only got each other, now. We know that life's too short for rowing._" Mrs Metcalf told us. Her gaze moved to a framed photograph of a middle-aged man on the bedside cabinet as she spoke.

"_I see…_" Sarah Jane replied softly. "_I'm sorry… Well, perhaps you could tell me what happened on Saturday?_"

"_Nothing happened… only Lance never came back._" Mrs Metcalf said. "_He was going out to meet his friend, Brandon. They were going down the arcade; he lives for his video games. Only… Brandon never saw him on Saturday._" The woman said. Sarah Jane and I both frowned lightly, our attention caught by that information. "_Lance never showed up. He just vanished into thin air._" Sarah Jane glanced at me and I quirked my eyebrow slightly, signalling that I thought it was odd, too. "_Help me get my boy back, Miss Smith. Please?_"

Sarah Jane moved to sit beside her on the bed, wrapping an arm around her as she started to cry. A little uncomfortable, I continued looking through the books on the shelf, wondering whether there was anything there that might hold a clue as to what had happened. There didn't seem to be any books there that would be unusual to see on the bookshelf of a teenage boy, nothing that pointed to him having any unusual interests or secrets.

Once the woman had calmed down, we excused ourselves and headed back to Bannerman Road. Sarah Jane was quiet on the drive back and I guessed that she was imagining that it was Luke who had disappeared. I didn't say anything, not wanting to intrude on her thoughts.

Luke was back when we got in. He hugged me tightly asking all sorts of questions until I told him to shut up. Then I turned and smiled at his friends. I recognised Clyde at once, although he looked younger than I'd ever seen him. I didn't recognise the girl with them, although I guessed she must be the Maria that Sarah Jane had mentioned.

"Clyde, Maria, this is my cousin Evie." Luke introduced us.

I grinned. "Hi… nice to meet you."

"Ah! So this is the famous Evie." Clyde exclaimed with a broad grin. "Lukie boy doesn't shut up about you."

"Aww! That's so sweet!" I said, hugging him tightly and ruffling his hair.

"That's not true. I don't talk about you all the time. I talk about other things too." Luke argued, blushing slightly.

"It's alright, Luke, I know I'm great." I joked, winking at him.

"So, how old are you? Right now, I mean." Clyde asked, looking at me curiously.

"Right at this moment I'm seventeen years, ten months, 2 weeks, four days, nine hours, fifty-three minutes and… eleven seconds old." I informed him with a grin, checking the time on the clock as I spoke.

"Precise, isn't she?" He muttered, raising an eyebrow.

I laughed. "Right… let's see that?"

Maria handed me the bag she'd bought that afternoon and I cast an appraising eye over it. Seconds later, Clyde pulled it out of my hands and started messing around, whirling it round his head and prancing around, wiggling his hips. Maria, Luke and I laughed at his antics until Sarah Jane cleared her throat.

"_Do you mind?_"

"_Ah… sorry, Sarah Jane._" The boy apologised, stopping what he was doing and looking abashed.

"_Clyde was just bogging around with Maria's new bag._" Luke told his mother.

She turned to face him slowly. "_I'm sorry?_"

"_Mucking._" Clyde told her with a sigh. "_I was MUCKING around. Or messing…. You know? Messing around. You gotta listen to the words, Luke; they're important in slang. You can't improvise._"

"It wouldn't surprise me if 'bogging around' was a thing." I said with a shrug. "Keeping up with Earth slang is hard."

"Yeah, but you have an excuse!" Clyde pointed out.

Maria glanced at Luke and then Sarah Jane. "_Sorry, we'll get out of your way._"

"_No, no… wait._" She replied quickly, standing up and addressing them. "Evie and I… We've _just been to see the mother of that boy that went missing; your friend, Lance Metcalf. What d'you know about him?_"

"_Friend?_" Clyde piped up from the sofa in the corner. "_Don't get me wrong, Sarah Jane, I hope he's OK, but the Corporal's only been at our school a couple of months and he's not really been up for making friends._"

"_The Corporal?_"

"_Lance. Lance Corporal._" Maria said.

"_And did you know that his father was in the army and killed in Iraq?_" Sarah Jane asked, not remotely amused by the joke. "_Nicknames aren't always funny, Clyde. Yeah, well, I hope this boy didn't run away because he was bullied._"

"_Hey, don't get all over me about it!_" Clyde told her defensively. "_It was Luke that made up the nickname._"

"_People laughed when I came up with it. I thought that was good._"

"_It wasn't Luke's fault._" Maria defended him quickly as Sarah Jane folded her arms. "_No one knew about Lance's Dad. He didn't tell anyone. He didn't have much to do with any of us. Most break times he was too busy with his Nintendo._"

Luke looked devastated. "_But I made a joke out of his name. I hurt him. Maybe Lance wanted friends; just like I did. Instead I probably made him run away._"

"_Oh no, Luke, it was–_"

"_It's all my fault!_" He turned and left the attic hurriedly.

"_I'd better go and talk to him._" Sarah Jane sighed, looking equally upset.

"_No, let me._" Clyde told her, sighing and handing her Maria's bag. "_I did drop him in it._"

As the boy followed his friend's route out of the attic, I turned to Sarah Jane and Maria in confusion, voicing the question that had been bothering me. "What's a Nintendo?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hello darlings! Thanks for reading and thanks to everyone who reviewed the last chapter!**_

_**My plan was to MAKE SURE that I update at least once a week, because I feel awful for being so rubbish. I will try my best, I promise!**_

_**Hope you enjoy this, anyway!**_

_**x**_


	195. Recruited 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Recruited**

After Sarah Jane and Maria had explained to me what a Nintendo was, I moved around the attic, seeing what was different to when I'd last been there; a couple of years into their future. Several things were new to me, but most of the objects lying around were ones I recognised.

"_You don't think there's anything weird about Lance disappearing, do you?_" Maria asked Sarah Jane curiously. I looked round quickly, tilting my head to one side as I considered the likelihood. "_I mean… you're not doing a story because you think there's aliens involved or anything?_"

"_I don't see aliens behind every bush, you know, Maria._"

"Unless I'm hanging out nearby." I said, making the younger girl laugh.

"_I'm not a conspiracy theorist._" Sarah Jane continued, squeezing my arm gently as she walked past me.

"_No, I know… I just… wondered, that's all._"

"_Now, this friend of Lance Metcalf's, Brandon… do you know him?_" Auntie Sarah asked, almost as though Maria hadn't spoken.

"A bit, yeah." The girl agreed. "He hangs out at the arcade most of the time."

Standing up, Sarah Jane smiled. "Come on then, let's go and see what we can find out." She looked at me. "Are you coming?"

"To hang out with some kid who's more interested in... Nintendo?... than actual people?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "No thanks. I'll hang out here with Mr Smith and wait for Luke to come back."

"Alright… see you later."

I heard them leaving; the front door closing and the faint sounds of the car engine. For a while I entertained myself by playing around on Sarah Jane's computer. After a while, however, I got bored and turned to the Xylok at the other end of the room.

"Mr Smith, I need you." I told him, preparing myself for the familiar fanfare and blasts of smoke and cold air that always accompanied the supercomputer activating itself.

"Evie, how may I be of assistance?" He asked politely.

"Can you do a scan of the area and tell me where Luke and Clyde are?" I requested, picking up a lump of rock from the table and passing it between my hands distractedly while I waited for him to complete the task.

"I have located Luke and Clyde at the park." Mr Smith told me simply a couple of moments later. "Would you like directions?"

I rolled my eyes and replaced the lump of rock. "No, I think I'll be fine. If Auntie Sarah comes back and I'm not here, can you tell her where I am please? Thanks, Mr Smith."

Making my way down the stairs, after checking the door to the attic was firmly closed, I grabbed a jacket off the hallstand and left the house. I had a vague feeling that the park was to the right, so that was where I headed for. After ten or so minutes I found myself looking over a large expanse of green. There were swings and a slide and a climbing frame and, beside those, was a picnic bench. Sitting at the table were two familiar teenage boys.

"Hey, you found him, then?" I asked as I joined them and sat beside Luke. He smiled weakly at me and I squeezed his arm. "How you feeling now?"

"Guilty."

"You shouldn't, Luke."

"I've told him that." Clyde said quickly. "Lance disappearing isn't your fault, mate."

"_Sometimes it feels like I'll never fit into this world._" Luke admitted. "_When I made a joke about Lance's name, it felt like… like a breakthrough, because people laughed. But instead it was another social miscalculation._"

"_Gaffe, Luke._" Clyde told him firmly. "_It was a gaffe._"

Luke glanced at me in confusion, but I just shrugged; signalling that I had no idea what the other boy was talking about. "_Last week you said a gaff was where a dude lives…_"

"_Oh, it's different. Just… stick to the text, OK?_" He, too, looked at me as though he was hoping I'd back him up.

"I have absolutely no idea what you're talking about." I told him bluntly, shrugging my shoulders and resting my chin on my hand. "But if you ask me, Luke, it wasn't a social miscalculation, it was a simple mistake. You couldn't have known about Lance's Dad, so you weren't being deliberately mean. It's the difference between… it's like the difference between me or Clyde nicknaming you alien freak and…" I glanced around and pointed to a group of teenage boys playing football on the field behind us, "and one of them giving you that nickname. If they said it, it wouldn't mean anything; it's just words, because they know nothing about you. If we said it, it would be completely different."

"So…" Luke thought for a moment. "It's the difference meaning to be horrible and not meaning to?"

"Exactly!" I agreed ruffling his hair fondly. "No one would ever think you were being deliberately malicious, sweetie."

"That's what I said; it was a gaffe." Clyde repeated, earning himself two blank looks.

Luke sighed and shook his head. "_Things are so complex._"

"_Complex? You wanna be grateful your old man didn't run off with your Aunt Melba. Just listen to me; I'm an expert in complex._"

I laughed. "You are kidding, right? You think your life is complex?"

"Fair point…" Clyde conceded, grinning at me.

"_So you can explain things to me?_" Luke asked, looking between us.

"_Just ask Encyclopaedia Clydannica. Go on; anything you want, take your best shot._"

"Alternatively, for a sensible answer that actually makes sense, you could ask me." I added, rolling my eyes at Clyde, who sent me a cheeky grin back.

"_What's the purpose of games?_"

Clyde looked stumped. "_Why play games?_"

I grinned. "For fun… it's an entertaining way of passing the time. Unless you're the Doctor, when the purpose of a game is to lose and then sulk for about three days."

"_This._" Luke pulled a piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it carefully, smoothing it out on the table. It was some sort of promotional leaflet. "_This looks like war. But it's a game. Why?_"

"_It's just a laugh._"

I frowned. "War's never a laugh."

"_But they pretend to kill people._" Luke agreed, glancing at me in confusion.

"_OK… you want to find out? Let's do it._" Clyde suggested, folding up the advert and looking between us. "You in, Evie? Think you can take me on?"

I looked at Luke, smirking. He grinned back, knowing that I never went anywhere without my laser blaster. "Oh, I think I might be able to. Then again, I am just a girl…"

We left the park, making our way to the address written on the bottom of the leaflet. I glanced at the sign above the door warily; Combat 3000. It seemed silly to me, but Clyde seemed really excited, so I let him to do the talking. He handed over the money for the three of us and led the way to some kind of kit room. Vests hung on pegs and Clyde made his way over to three together.

"Did you say it's lasers?" I asked, slipping the vest over my head as the boy had done. "Like actual lasers?"

"No… not proper lasers." Clyde told me quickly. "_You shoot out people's sensors. If you get hit, your gun goes down for five seconds and you lose a life. You get a hundred lives._"

"And then what? You die?" I asked, not quite grasping the concept.

"No. You're out of the game." He shook his head at me, rolling his eyes. Then he moved to help Luke with his vest. "_The person at the end with the most lives left wins. Last man standing kinda thing._"

"_But I still don't get the point._" Luke admitted.

I shook my head. "Me either; they're not even proper lasers..."

"_You just wait until the adrenaline starts pumping, you'll see._" Clyde told us.

I raised an eyebrow and resisted telling him I doubted playing this game would cause the same effect as sandsurfing on Daolm or chasing down Weevils with the Torchwood team. Instead, I just glanced down and made sure my vest was done up properly. Clyde laughed as I jumped when an alarm blared and a voice boomed through the room. Glaring at him, I listened as the instructions were barked over the speakers.

"Don't worry, babe, I'll look after you." He told me with a wink as we prepared to go in.

Smirking, I shook my head. "Oh, don't put yourself out on my account, sweetie."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Thank you for reading guys!**_

_**Special thank you to **_**Anastasia Dove**_**, **_**therealjainasolo**_**, **_**Misery Loves Sarah**_** and **_**daisiella13**_** for your reviews! :D**_

_**x**_


	196. Recruited 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Recruited**

The doors opened and everyone surged forward into the room. My eyes darted around, assessing the best points for defence and attack. I spotted the best vantage point to get a clear sight of the whole arena and made my way towards it, dragging Luke and Clyde with me, ducking behind barrels and crates to avoid being hit.

"_You're hit!_" Clyde told Luke suddenly, a boy appearing out of nowhere and shooting out one of the sensors on his vest.

As the boys went sideways, heading through a gap in the wall, I closed one eye and aimed, hitting the boy who had shot Luke straight in the chest. He groaned loudly as his sensor flickered and died. With a grin, I turned and followed Clyde and my cousin. Maybe Clyde had a point about this being fun.

Clyde wasn't too bad either, but Luke was terrible to begin with. We spent most of our time making sure he was staying out of trouble. The three of us moved around the maze-like arena together, working as a group. As the game went on, Luke improved considerably. I grinned at him as I ducked and he shot over my head, hitting the sensor on the vest of a boy at the other end of the corridor. High-fiving me, he nodded his head to a gap in the wall to our left and we ran towards it.

"Clyde, down!" I shouted, whirling round on the spot and taking out four competitors one after the other in quick succession.

He stared at me, open-mouthed. "How… what…?"

"Aww… don't worry, babe, I'll protect you." I told him with a grin, patting his cheek. "Come on… this way."

By the end of the level, I had changed my mind. Clyde was right; it was brilliant. We headed out of the area and back into the room with the pegs. There was a huge screen on the wall, displaying the scores. I grinned at the excitement on Luke's face as he read it.

"_Hey, I won!_" He exclaimed. "_And look, you came second_, Evie and Clyde, third!"

"_Yeah… beginners luck, I guess._" Clyde said, looking as though he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing.

"Aww… thanks for looking after me in there, Clydie." I teased, squeezing his cheek. "I really appreciate it.

"_Maybe we should go again?_" He suggested, shoving me away.

"_I thought you said it was for kids?_" Luke asked, grinning.

Clyde nodded. "_Yeah it is… but… it's all part of your education. Don't worry, I'm not enjoying it or anything._"

"_That's a pretty impressive score, soldier eight._" A man behind us said. We all turned and looked at him. Immediately something about him didn't seem right, but I wasn't sure why.

"_Clyde says it was beginner's luck. But I've got better reflexes and hand-to-eye coordination than most kids._"

"_You do?_" The man asked. "_Wow. Well… you make one hell of a future warrior, soldier._ Soldier nine; you're not far behind him." He added, smiling at me. I returned the look weakly, not liking being referred to as 'soldier nine'; the Doctor would have been furious.

"_You mean I'd be good at killing people? If the eventuality arose._" Luke said with a small chuckle. I nudged him, frowning at the over-excited tone of his voice.

The man looked at Clyde and me, before his gaze rested on Luke again. "_I'm guessing you don't get invited to too many parties, do you?_"

"_I was showing him what to do._" Clyde blurted, apparently fed up of being ignored. "_He's Luke, which makes me Obi-Wan Kenobi. Soldier seven, how's it going?_"

Not understanding what he was talking about, I frowned at the man who ignored his outstretched hand and addressed the three of us. "_OK, listen up. Me and Mr Kudlak, he's the proprietor, we run a special competition for the more skilled competitors. It's Level Two. Now, what d'you think? Are you up for it?_"

"_Yeah!_" We agreed together.

"_Good._"

I glanced at the boys as the man wandered away. "Level Two? What d'you reckon?"

"I reckon this is every man for himself." Clyde said with a shrug. "Sorry… man and woman."

"Fine by me." I agreed.

"Yeah, me too." Luke nodded.

"This is war, then."

I frowned. "Can we not call it war? That makes it too… real."

"Alright… this is… competition?" Clyde suggested.

"Better."

x-x

As we waited to go back into the arena for Level Two, Clyde gave us a rundown on the other competitors. "_See him? He does kick boxing. She does Athletics for the county and he's in the football A team." _He turned and grinned at us._ "This is wicked! It's like Premier League for laser tag._ I take back the competition... we should work together on this one."

"_OK, guys!_" The man shouted, interrupting the conversation as Luke and I nodded in agreement at his suggestion. "_Well done for getting through to Level Two._" He touched the screen and a map appeared. "_New arena, new objective. You'll be split into four dispersement groups. You'll access the arena from here, here and here. When the first siren sounds, you'll break for cover. When the second siren sounds, the mission begins._"

"_Misson?_" Luke asked, looking warily at Clyde and me.

"_The first soldier to make it through the door, down the corridor and into this chamber will win their place in the World Championships._"

"_They have a laser tag World Championships?!_" Clyde asked, sounding as though all his birthdays and Christmases had come at once.

"_That's kinda why I said it._" The man told him sarcastically. "_Now, this time, you don't get 100 lives, OK? You get ten._"

"_Ten?_"

I shrugged. "It's nine more than I usually get."

"_Piece of cake._" Clyde muttered, grinning at us.

"_D'you think so? A word of advice, son, the Ultimate Warrior of the Future is always on guard for surprise attacks._"

Shuddering as the man winked and turned away, I looked at Luke and Clyde who suddenly looked nervous. I frowned. This was just a game; if we lost all ten lives nothing would happen. And yet the man, whatever his name was, was acting as though this was a massive deal. Suddenly something didn't seem to be making a lot of sense. I furrowed my eyebrows, running through everything in my head. Beside me, Luke seemed to be thinking hard too. On the other side, however, Clyde was excitedly waiting for the game to begin.

As before, we moved through the arena together. We covered each other's backs and moved steadily around the room.

"_The others are playing by the old rules; to be the last man standing._" Luke pointed out as we took cover for a moment. "_If we work as a team, we'll have the strategic advantage._"

"Sure." I agreed, glancing over my shoulder at the sound of footsteps and shooting the athletics girl Clyde had pointed out earlier.

"_Like I said; piece of cake._" Clyde said with a grin.

The game continued at a breakneck pace. I leapt out from behind the barrel that we'd taken cover behind, whirling around and taking out several opponents. Clyde shook his head at me and demanded I showed him how to do it. I did, taking out a further two teenagers. He laughed and led the way through a gap, ducking behind another barrel. I remembered something Jack had shown me in the vaults below the Torchwood Hub and leant out around the barrel, looking left and right quickly. Then I poked the gun round and aimed.

"Gotcha!" Luke muttered triumphantly behind me and I grinned, turning and finding him beaming at me. I was pleased that he seemed to have forgotten his worries from earlier and was enjoying himself.

"Come on, boys… let's finish this, yeah?"

We headed towards where the door had been marked on the map. There was a loud, grating sound and natural light flooded the corner of the arena. We looked at it, triumphant smiles spreading over our faces.

"_OK… that's it; the door to the World Championships._" Clyde said unnecessarily. "_How many lives d'you have left?_"

"_Six._ Evie?"

"Seven." I replied. "Clyde?"

He checked his gun. "_Four… I think we're well ahead of the opposition. Are you ready?_"

"_Remember what the manager said; be ready for a surprise attack._" Luke reminded us.

"_I'm ready to rock, I'm ready to roll!_"

"Let's do this!"

As we ran for the doorway, more figures appeared, springing up from nowhere and shooting at us. We ducked and dived behind the barrels, getting closer to our goal. We twisted and doubled back, avoiding the laser beams that were aimed in our directions. Working together, we made it to the doors and rushed through just as they slid closed.

I turned to the boys in confusion. "Now what?"

"_Do we get like a trophy or something?_" Luke asked as we walked slowly along the tunnel, guns still raised.

"_I dunno._" Clyde almost snapped, the nerves audible in his voice. "_But I'm thinking this is kind of… weird._"

"_Come on; it's just a game!_"

"Really?" I asked, raising an eyebrow as there was a loud rumble and a banging from ahead.

With a final look at each other, we leapt round the corner, readying ourselves for another attack. There was nothing. Frowning in confusion, I took a hesitant step forwards, followed by the boys. From behind us there was a screeching, scraping sound and we turned to see the door sliding closed behind us.

"_What's going on?_" Clyde asked, looking up.

I shook my head, my eyes darting around the box-like room nervously. They fell on a slab beneath our feet and I crouched, running my fingers over the pattern carefully. "I think… oh…"

Before I could get the words out, there was a flash of light and we were teleported away.


	197. Recruited 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Recruited**

"_Woah!_" Clyde laughed when, seconds later the light vanished. I frowned, feeling as though the ground had moved beneath my feet. Luke was sitting on the floor, looking a little flight-sick. "_What was all that about? If you ask me, someone went over the top with the effects budget on this place._"

"_I feel sick…_" Luke muttered. I glanced at him again and saw that he was looking a strange shade of green.

Pausing my examination of the engraved slab beneath my feet, I moved to crouch in front of him. I did some of the basic med-checks Owen, then Martha, then Fin and then Yvonne had taught me over the years at Torchwood. "Your heart rate's a little elevated and your pupils are constricted, when I'd expect them to be dilated 'cos it's not exactly bright in here and I'm guessing you haven't taken any kind of miotic substance?" He shook his head quickly. After repeating the checks, and seeing that his responses were more normal, I smiled. "I think you'll be fine; just take some deep breaths, sweetie."

"_Well, do me a favour; if this is where they hand us the trophy, don't puke in it._" Clyde warned, completely unsympathetically.

"Not helpful." I told him with a frown. When the boy pulled a face at me, I set him to examining the door to see if we could get out. Then I turned to Luke. "This pattern… I think it's a matter transporter. I've seen one before, but never… never this close."

Clyde sighed loudly before Luke could respond. "_Where is everyone? I want my ticket to the World Championships!_"

"_I thought you were getting worried before._"

"_Nah… adrenaline hype, that's all._" He said with a shrug and a grin. "_Look… nothing's happened to us. We're just stuck in this room off the arena, waiting for that Grantham guy to come and get us._"

"_I don't know, Clyde, something's not right._" Luke told him, apparently listening to the floor. "If Evie's right… we might not even be in the arena anymore."

No sooner had he finished speaking that there was a hydraulic whooshing and the door slid open. I whirled around, pulling Luke to his feet beside me and stared at the figures in the doorway suspiciously, barely listening to Clyde's excited babbling. They were dressed in black, with black motorbike helmets on their heads and the visor's down. Somewhere in the back of my mind, alarm bells started ringing.

"_About time! Are you the honour guards? Are you going to do this properly? You know what, guys, I like their style here._"

"Shut up, Clyde." I muttered as the three figures advanced towards us. One lunged forwards and grabbed me by the upper arms, wrapping me in a tight embrace so that struggling against its grip was futile. "Get off!"

Behind me I could hear the boys shouting too and guessed that they had also been grabbed. I was half carried, half dragged along a corridor with the strange, green lighting that had been present in the arena. This stopped me getting my bearings and I was unable to tell whether my matter transporter theory was correct.

As I felt the figure's hold on me releasing slightly, I was about to attempt to escape, when I was thrown unceremoniously onto the ground. It took me a second to realise that I was in some sort of crate but the moment I started crawling quickly towards the opening, Clyde barrelled into me, followed seconds later by Luke.

"OI!" I shrieked as the door was shut and we were plunged into almost total darkness; the only light coming through the small holes at the top of the walls. The three of us continued shouting and banging on the sides and top of the crate as it started to move. After a couple of minutes, however, it became obvious that we were wasting our time and it would be a better idea to conserve our energy.

"_I've got no signal._" Clyde said, glancing at his mobile. "_You?_"

"_Nothing… my battery's dead._"

"I don't even have one of them." I told them with a sigh.

"What about your watch thingy?" Clyde asked.

"Vortex Manipulator?" Sighing again, I shook my head. "I left it in Auntie Sarah's attic. Mr Smith was charging it for me."

There was a pause and then Clyde's eye fell on something in the corner of the crate. "_Oh man… a bucket! This is not good._"

"_I think you're right…_" Luke said slowly, looking at me. "_Did you feel it back then? The floor was vibrating._"

His friend frowned as I nodded in agreement. "_How d'you mean?_"

"Barely noticeably though, Luke."

"_Very slightly._"

"_Which means?_"

"_It wasn't doing that before… I don't think we're at Combat 3000 anymore._"

I sighed. "The matter transporter… So where the hell are we? And why?"

There were a couple of violent jolts and then we stopped moving. Straining my ears, I listened to see if I could hear anything that might give us a clue as to where we were. Apart from a couple of low grunts and heavy footsteps there was nothing.

"_I think we've arrived._" Clyde muttered. Then he frowned, watching what Luke was doing in bemusement. I watched too as Luke fiddled with something on his discarded laser tag vest. "_What are you doing?_"

He pulled a thin piece of metal out of the vest and carefully poked it through the tiny gap between the front panel of the crate and the side. I watched with my head on one side, trying to understand his actions. As I heard a metallic tap and then a soft scraping sound I grinned. There was a tinny clink as Luke removed the pin from the fastening and flipped it open.

"Oh, you boy genius!" I chuckled, kissing his cheek and leaning past him to push it open slightly. When it didn't move, I signalled to Clyde and we kicked it firmly. There was a thud as it fell off. "Come on then."

Clyde raised his laser gun as we headed cautiously across the floor. I rolled my eyes, wondering what good he thought it would do, considering it wasn't a proper laser blaster, but said nothing.

"_If you've got any idea what's going on around here, I'd love to hear it._" He said, slightly snappily.

"_I don't think we got into the World Championships._" Luke replied.

I laughed softly. "You've learnt how to do sarcasm then, sweetie?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind." I said with a grin, ruffling his hair as he looked totally confused by my comment. "Let's try over there."

"_Who's there?_" A voice, presumably from one of the other crates dotted around, caught our attention and we all turned, facing the box it appeared to come from.

"_Did you hear that?_"

"_Who is that?_" The voice asked again.

Quickly we walked towards the crate and Clyde removed the pin. Together we pulled the front panel off and stared into the darkness inside. There was a girl, coughing and shielding her eyes against the sudden increase in light levels. She stared at us in a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

"_Whoa, ho! Looks like things are finally picking up round here._" Clyde chuckled and I rolled my eyes. "_What's your name?_"

"_Jen. Who are you?_"

"_I'm Clyde._" He said with a broad grin. When the girl pointed at Luke and I, he sighed and pulled a face. Just as he answered, banging started coming from another of the crates, so Luke and I moved away hurriedly to free the teenager inside it after we'd been introduced. "_This is Luke and that's Evie. Look, have you got a reason for sitting in a crate or are you like us, itching for a clue to what the hell is going on around here?_"

"_I won level 2 at Combat 3000. Next thing, those jokers are locking me up._" Jen said as he helped her out.

"_Clyde, I think I've found you that clue._" Luke called as we helped the boy out of the box he'd been confined in.

"_Lance! Look, I don't want to freak you out, mate, but your mum's going out of her mind worrying about you._"

"So… we don't really have time for chitchat." I told them, taking charge and looking around. "We need to get these crates opened and get out of here before those thi– Slabs!"

"Slabs?" Jen asked, looking at me as though I was talking a different language.

"Yeah… I knew I recognised them. Those men that put us in the crate, they're called Slabs."

"Slabs?" Clyde repeated disbelievingly.

"Yes, Clyde, Slabs." I told him with a sharp exhalation of breath. "They're robotic beings… usually androids… that are used by various races as basic slave drones. You usually get them in pairs, which totally makes sense!"

"Is she mad?"

Clyde grinned. "Nah… she's always like this. Her and Luke are cousins; they both act like they're from a different planet."

"Eh?" Jen shook her head and looked away. "So? What do we do?"

"We open these crates and find a way out of here." I told her firmly, punching Clyde in the arm and starting towards the nearest box.

Within a short space of time all the crates were lying open and the captive teenagers had been released. Aside from the three of us, Jen and Lance, there were three others; Pippa, Louise and Simon. That brought the total up to four boys and four girls. I grinned at this revelation, muttering in Clyde's ear that apparently females were just as good with guns as males. He swatted at my arm and clambered onto one of the crates, settling himself beside Jen. Luke sat on her other side while the rest of us stood around.

"_So we all played Combat 3000 and ended up here?_" Luke said, pointing out the obvious.

"_We played all over the place; London, Brighton, Manchester, Leeds and Inverness. Kids from all over the country must have gone missing. But how did we get here?_" Clyde pondered, looking around at us all.

"_Wherever here is._"

"_What's it for? Who are they and what do they want with us?_"

"Evie said they're Slabs." Clyde reminded Luke quickly.

I shook my head. "Slabs just follow orders. It's whoever's behind the Slabs that we need to worry about."

From a little way off, Lance called, "_I played that stupid game again and again just to get to level two, and I end up in a crate. What's going on?_"

In the distance there was an echoing clang. We all looked around nervously, before Jen spoke the words that were in all our minds. "Someone's coming."

Dispersing quickly, we moved to find hiding places behind the crates around the room. Clyde and Jen went one way and Luke and I went another. Where the other teenager went I wasn't sure. Hearing the grunting and thudding of the Slab, I swivelled on the spot and tried to see where he was headed. Luke grabbed my arm, frowning in concern and thinking I was about to do something stupid. I just shook my head and smiled reassuringly at him.

The Slab opened one of the crates and peered in side, evidently confused as he realised it was empty. I leapt out from my hiding place and moved forwards. Jen got there first, pushing him in and standing back as Luke and Simon slammed the front panel back in place and trapped him.

Jen laughed and turned to Clyde triumphantly. "Just stick with me; I'll look after you." She told him with a broad grin.

I laughed, realising he must have been playing the macho, protection card. As he wandered towards me, sending me a look that clearly told me not to say anything, I winked. "Oh, I like her!"

"Shut up." He muttered.

Laughing even more, I followed Luke as he led the way out of the room. Behind us there was a deafening bang and the whole of the front panel of the crate was blasted to smithereens as the Slab stepped out. The urgency in our little group increased at once and we headed for the doors.


	198. Recruited 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Recruited**

"_Where the heck are we? Where do we go?_" Lance demanded as we slowed to a walk a while later.

We seemed to be in some sort of engine room. The lighting was low and there was a dull, red glow over everything. All around us pipes and large mechanical equipment stood, bathed in the strange light.

"_This way._" Luke suggested, glancing at me. I shrugged and nodded. "Evie?"

"I think so."

"_Why this way?_" Clyde argued, still annoyed with me for teasing him.

"_Why not?_"

As we made our way quickly through the boiling hot room in search of a way out, I suddenly became aware that only Luke and Clyde were with me. The others had stopped and were staring at something out of sight to the right. Whatever it was was hidden behind some machinery. I nudged the boys and we turned to see what they were looking at.

"_When did the moon turn blue?_" Lance asked.

"_That isn't the moon…_"

"_I don't believe it… we can't be._"

"_Oh, man… we are…_" Clyde breathed, staring out of the observation window.

"_I never thought it would be so beautiful._" Luke murmured, his eyes fixed on the large planet below us.

Clyde shook his head in wonder. "_We are a long way from home._"

"Yep, fascinating as this is, guys, we really need to get going!" I told them, glancing over my shoulder urgently. "Those Slabs will find us easy if we hang around here."

"_It's a trick. It's got to be a trick. We didn't fly anywhere._" Jen pointed out, completely ignoring my warnings.

"Seriously, guys…"

"_We were teleported._" Luke informed her, also ignoring me. I frowned and considered stamping my foot in irritation; dismissing the idea as childish.

"_Yeah, right. Like beam me up, Scotty._"

"_Trust me. It's real._" Clyde assured her.

"GUYS!" I snapped as a loud bang echoed from behind us and the entire structure shook.

"_And that's a real gun. Come on!_"

Rolling my eyes in annoyance, I led the way through the twisting corridors, throwing myself round corners and trying to work out the best way to go without stopping. The others followed and, gradually, the boys overtook me.

"_If we're really in space, how are we going to get away?_" Lance asked, groaning slightly as I bashed into him when he slowed down to look at us.

"_He's got a point._"

"_We'll find a way._" Luke assured them quickly.

As one we skidded to a halt. A strange, almost bug-like, creature had blocked our path, appearing round the corner with a rasping growl. It had huge eyes, a skull-shaped head and a mouth that was more like mandibles than teeth. Oddly enough, he was also wearing a sort of trench coat; a red one. Behind him were several Slabs. Turning, I saw more advancing along the corridor behind us, trapping us between them and the bug-man.

"_My warriors. Such very fine warriors._" He rasped. Then he seemed to sniff the air deeply, before letting out another roaring growl.

The Slabs moved in, flanking us and we were guided through the corridors. I glanced to the left, spotting a gap and attempting to slip through unnoticed. Immediately a Slab was on me, pushing me roughly back to join the others. I glared and kicked at it angrily, earning myself another shove.

"_What are we doing here?_" Clyde demanded as we were ushered down some steps and into a small room. There was a large screen in front of us, a panel of flashing lights and multi-coloured buttons beside it. "_What's with all this warrior stuff? All we did was win a game of laser tag!_"

"_Hey, maybe that's it. Maybe this is just another part of the game; Level Three._" Lance suggested excitedly.

"I doubt it, somehow." I muttered, shaking my head at him. Unable to stop myself, I moved forwards and looked at the control panel carefully. "What's this–"

"_Silence! Behold your Mistress._" The alien ordered.

Another of the creatures appeared on the screen and I stepped backwards instinctively. When it spoke, it was obvious that the second one was a female. "_Welcome, my warriors._"

"_We're not warriors. We're kids._" Luke told her firmly.

"_None of those before you had the initiative to escape the holding deck. None forced my return to the ship to deal with them. You are good warrior stock._"

"_This is such rubbish._" Clyde snapped.

"_You have proved yourself in the arena. You have hearts of heroes. You will not suffer our enemies to live and we will honour your sacrifice._" The creature on screen announced.

"_Hey, your majesty or whatever. No offence, but I think you're getting a bit mixed up here. Back in the arena, we were playing._" The boy continued. I nudged him and shook my head, causing him to frown.

"_And what is play if it is not a preparation for life?_"

"_Look, fight your own war. It's got nothing to do with us. We want to go home!_"

"Oh, yeah, that'll convince them." I muttered sarcastically as Luke nudged me in the ribs and nodded his head towards a console beside us. I inclined my head slightly in agreement and he moved towards it. "Maybe they'll take us for ice cream on the way. Or maybe they'll take us bowling? What d'you reckon?"

There was a crackle and a flash of light. Clyde leapt towards his best friend as Luke received some kind of electric shock from the console. I sighed, wondering what had happened; had Luke touched something he shouldn't or had it been an external reaction to him messing with it.

"_Such determination. Such loyalty to each other. You have chosen well, Kudlak._" The creature on the screen said, causing the one in the room to bow to her image. I narrowed my eyes, thinking hard.

"_Suppose we refuse to fight?_" Luke asked. "_What then?_"

"_Then you will be cowards. You will not fall as heroes. But nevertheless, you will die._"

In reaction to his mistresses' words, the alien in front of us let out another rasping roar. I raised an eyebrow at him, folding my arms and stepping forward. Now was the time to take charge, I decided. He tilted his head at my movement, observing me closely.

"So… Kudlak, yeah?" I asked carefully. "What race are you? Where's your planet of origin? I mean… if I'm gonna fight for you it's only fair I know who I'm risking my life for, right?"

Behind me I could hear a murmur of confusion from the others, but I ignored it, concentrating on the creature in front of me. He seemed to consider my words for a moment, before nodding his head slightly.

"A wise question." He acknowledged. "I am General Uvlavad Kudlak of the Uvodni. We come from the Spiral Cluster of the Dragon Nebula."

I nodded slowly, thinking hard again. "Nice to meet you… I'm Evie Song of the… well… I'm sort of a mongrel." I admitted with a shrug. "Even I'm not entirely sure what I am. I come from all over, really. Weren't the Uvodni involved in the Ghost Wars?" Realisation crossed my face and I glanced behind me. "Ohh… I get it… smart."

"You have extensive knowledge for a human." Kudlak told me.

"Like I said, I'm from all over." I reminded him. "But I thought the Ghost Wars ended before now?"

"No… we still fight!" He replied. "We will prevail over the Malakh!"

"Really, though, because the way I heard it–"

"SILENCE!" Kudlak roared.

He waved his hand and we were shepherded away by the Slabs. They took us back through the corridors and into another room.

"What was all that about?" Clyde asked, frowning at me. "All that 'if I'm gonna fight for you it's only fair I know who I'm risking my life for' stuff. You're not serious?"

"Clyde… I know who we're up against now and I know exactly what they want us for. The Uvodni were involved in a war, called the Ghost Wars, against a race called the Malakh in the Horsehead Nebula of Mutter's Spiral – otherwise known as the Milky Way." I explained quickly. "The Malakah were vicious and they would start wars over practically nothing. But I could have sworn the Ghost Wars should be over by now…"

"Is she for real?" Jen asked, raising her eyebrows at me. "How does she know all that? And what did she mean she's not human."

"Several long stories there." I told her with a grin. "We should just concentrate on the matter at hand."

Silence fell for a moment as we all concentrated on our own thoughts. The silence was broken by Lance, who sighed and stared dreamily ahead of him. "_My Dad was a soldier. He thought there were times when you had to fight._"

"_Yeah, but this isn't our fight._" Clyde reminded him.

"_Can I borrow your mobile, Clyde?_" Luke asked suddenly. I looked at him curiously. Everyone else seemed amused by his request.

"_We're in space, Luke. Who are you going to ring? Have you got a number for Captain Kirk?_"

"_Who?_" I asked, confused, at exactly the same moment as my cousin. We looked at each other for a moment, before turning back to the others who were chuckling. I guessed it was some other cultural reference I didn't understand.

"_Oh, just don't break it._" Clyde warned, handing it over. I moved across to see what Luke was doing with the mobile and a handful of wires. I bit my lip as I realised what he was trying to do, making some suggestions to save time.

"_Whatever's going on across the galaxy, it's got nothing to do with us._"

"_Kudlak doesn't see it like that._"

"_Forget Kudlak._" Clyde advised. "_We need a plan to get out._"

"_But what can we do? We're on a spaceship. The only way we're getting off is if they send us into the middle of some alien war._"

"_Or we steal a shuttlecraft._" Luke said, grinning at me as we achieved what we had been trying to do. I grinned, taking the phone out of his hands and pressing a series of buttons, bringing up a map on the control panel beside the door.

"_What did you say?_" His best friend asked, turning to stare at us.

"_I've wired Clyde's mobile into the ship's computer._" Luke informed them.

I snorted. "Because I did nothing to help."

"OK, WE wired Clyde's mobile into the ship's computer." He corrected himself. I winked and ruffled his hair fondly.

"They _did what?_" Jen asked, looking between us in astonishment.

"_Sorry… my friend's a bit of a geek._ Evie's not much better."

"_This is a plan of the spacecraft._" Luke told them, ignoring Clyde's words. The other teenagers congregated beside us to look properly.

Lance grinned. "_Like the Isle of Wight ferry?_"

"_Yeah… that ferry, yeah…_" Clyde laughed, shaking his head slightly.

"_We're here… this is where they took us to see the Mistress and this, I'm pretty sure, is a–_"

"_Shuttlecraft!_" Clyde finished for him. "_Genius!_"

"_Yeah, genius._" Jen agreed. "_He can wire your phone into an alien computer, but can you fly an alien shuttlecraft?_"

"_No._" Clyde conceded. "_But he can wire my phone up to an alien computer. Give the boy a chance, he's on a roll._"

"I'm pretty sure I can fly it." I told them with a shrug. "It's not the first spacecraft I've stolen. It can't be that difficult; they've all got the same basic controls."

"What?" Jen and Clyde asked together, looking at me in bemusement. I just grinned and winked at them, returning my attention to fiddling with the boy's mobile.

"_It doesn't make a difference if you can fly it or not. We're not going anywhere._" Lance said pointing at the door.

"_Want a wager?_" Luke asked, pressing a button on the mobile and grinning as the door opened immediately. The others rushed through it first, keen to be out of the room.

"_Bet, Luke. It's a bet._" Clyde told him with a sigh, heading through the door.

As I passed my cousin I winked. "Even I knew that one, sweetie!"

"Captain Kirk?" Luke asked me as he followed me out, closing the door behind him.

I shrugged. "Nope, no idea."


	199. Recruited 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Recruited**

We followed the directions on the screen, heading deeper and deeper into the maze of corridors that ran through the Uvodni ship. Clyde and the others raced ahead, leaving Luke and I to follow, passing the mobile between us and directing from behind.

"_Not far now._" Luke told them.

"_What was it, first right or second right?_"

"_Second._" Lance answered firmly.

Clyde shook his head. "_No, first; it was first._"

Whether it was first or second didn't matter. We rounded the bend and were faced with a pair of Slabs aiming their guns at us. Whirling round, we realised there were more approaching from behind and picked up the pace, changing direction. I tried to keep an idea of where we were heading in my mind, but as the boys led the way, I realised trying to direct them now was useless.

"_We can't fight for them if they grease us._" Clyde pointed out as we found relative safety for a moment or two.

"_Maybe we're just too much trouble?_" Jen pointed out. I had to agree with her; it seemed to be the story of my life, being too much trouble.

"_Oh, yeah. We rock._"

"_What now?_" Lance demanded aggitatedly as Luke pointed him in the right direction and instructed him to stay calm.

"Look, I don't want to freak you out, man, but I'm losing calm as an option here." Clyde said as we reached another door.

I watched Luke remove the control panel and insert the mobile in its place. "Just breathe." I advised him. "And maybe stop talking…. conserve your energy, that sort of thing."

"_Yeah, I've gone past worried. I'm not even stopping at anxious. I'm full throttle into panicked totally beyond reason. Will you get a move on?_"

"You're not gonna stop talking then?" I asked.

He sent me a sarcastic smile and I grinned back, before returning my attention to what Luke was doing. The door beeped, but didn't move. Frowning, I urged Luke to try the code again. When, for the second time, nothing happened I had a go. Pushing a button in frustration, I was surprised when the door slid open.

"Result!" Luke smiled, high-fiving me and standing aside as the others ran through. I shook my head at his imitation of his best friend.

"_You're enjoying this, aren't you?_" Clyde asked us accusingly.

I winked, but Luke didn't seem to register the question at all. "_Look at this._" He tried to show us something on the mobile, but a shot from one of the approaching Slabs' guns came dangerously close and I shoved him through the door, slamming it behind us.

"No time for looking now… RUN!"

After a couple of minutes, when there was no sign or sound of the androids behind us, we slowed to a walk. We were on some kind of metal walkway, a massive drop to our right and panelling to the left. I looked over the railings and down to the dock below where the shuttlecraft was parked. It looked like a relatively simple model and I was sure I could handle it no problem.

"_Look what I've just seen on their computer banks._" Luke said, trying again to show us something on the mobile.

"_Not now, Luke, later._"

"_Clyde, look. It's the shuttlecraft._" Jen pointed out needlessly.

"_We made it._"

But Clyde spoke too soon. The doors opened and Slabs surged towards us. We ran along the walkways, jumping down metal staircases and rushing back along more walkways. Down the third flight of stairs, our path was blocked by General Kudlak himself. With more Slabs behind us and approaching from the side, there was nowhere else to go.

"_Warriors, I salute you._" He rasped. "_Yours is without doubt the finest war blood I have been honoured to gather. And now it is time to leave, to take your place on the Uvodni front line._"

We were route marched through the corridors yet again. I tried to get to Luke, to ask what he had wanted to show us, but the Slabs jabbed at me with their guns and forced me to keep going forward.

Kudlak led the way, marching into the room we'd been to before when we'd seen the Mistress.

"_Mum!_" Luke shouted, spotting Sarah Jane seconds before I did and rushing to her. Auntie Sarah and Maria moved to stand with us as the Uvodni raised his weapon.

"_And I had such hopes for you, young warrior._"

"_He's not a warrior. None of them are warriors. They're children!_"

"_War changes everything._"

"_Stop!_" Luke leapt between his mother and the gun. "_The war is over._"

As he looked to me for support, I nodded. "It's true; the Ghost War ended."

"_What is this?_"

From the screen, the Mistress shrieked. "_Lies, Kudlak. Execute them!_"

"_I found this in your computer banks._" Luke told him quickly, holding out the mobile. "Evie was right."

"No need to sound so surprised." I muttered, slightly offended.

"_This is trickery._"

Auntie Sarah glanced at me quickly and I shrugged. "_No. Let him show you._"

"_I hacked into your ship's computer. That's how we escaped. I found this by accident._"

"_I will not permit this, Kudlak._" The Mistress warned as Luke connected the mobile to the screen.

"_Vessels of the Imperial Fleet, this is your Emperor. We have agreed an armistice with the Malakh. After all these centuries, peace at last. Come home, all my proud warriors. Come home. We have much to re-build._" A third Uvodni ordered, his image appearing on the screen when Luke pressed a button on the phone.

"_What Malakh subterfuge is this?_" Kudlak demanded furiously rounding on us.

"_Luke found it in your databanks. You have to believe it, Kudlak. The war is over._"

"_According to the data, that message is ten years old._"

"_Ten years? The Mistress would have told me. We would have gone home. This is a trick. You wish to destroy us._"

"_No, Kudlak. We don't want to destroy you, no matter what your Mistress has told you. Earth wants to live in peace with its neighbours._"

"_But, Mistress, is this true? Is the war ended all these years?_"

"_Perhaps she doesn't want to go home. Perhaps without a war, there's no need for her or for you._" Sarah Jane pointed out.

"_Mistress?_"

"_Peace does not compute._"

"_What?_"

"_Peace does not compute. Peace does not, not compute._"

"She doesn't understand the concept; it's not part of what she was programmed to do." I breathed as the screen flickered and the sound skipped.

"_Mistress… she's a computer._" Luke added.

"_She buried the message from your Emperor._"

"_Is this true, Mistress?_"

"_I am not programmed for peace. This scenario does not compute. It cannot be real._"

"_You never expected the war to end. Your computers were never programmed to recognise it had happened._" Sarah Jane snapped.

"_Peace is an anomaly. Without war I cannot exist._"

"No, war is the anomaly." I said firmly, standing beside Auntie Sarah and glaring at the screen. "Peace is what is meant to happen."

"_The point of our war was to achieve peace for our home._"

"_We have no home, Kudlak, except on the battlefield. Peace is a stranger's land. We have no place there._"

"_You may not, but I do. All these years of peace wasted. I thought the Malakh were my enemy, but all this time it was you. And I will not suffer my enemies to live._" Kudlak shot the screen, sparks showering over us as the image vanished immediately. "_The Mistress is dead, and I have committed an unforgivable crime against your world. You are free and my life is yours to take._"

He motioned for the Slabs to stand aside and then sank to his knees, holding up his gun. I stepped forwards and took it off him, disabling it with practised ease. Once it was safe, I tucked it under my arm and stood aside, letting Auntie Sarah take over.

"_Taking life is never the answer, General Kudlak, whether we've been wronged by one man or a whole planet. It's always the innocents that suffer._" She told him gently.

"_I am not an innocent, but maybe I can find some of those that were. The ones I sent far away and that still survive. Perhaps I can return them and one day find some peace for myself._"

"_I hope you can, General Kudlak._"

"_It is my duty._"

Turning, Auntie Sarah ushered us away. "_We're leaving, now._" She pointed at me, the faint hint of a smile on her face. "And don't think I'll forget you've got that gun, young lady."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, but didn't argue as we made our way back towards the teleports. Within half an hour we were walking out of the building, relieved to be back on Earth. Sarah Jane wrapped one arm around me and the other around Maria, pulling us along the street.

"_Well, not much of a hero's welcome._" We heard Clyde complain from behind us.

"_Who cares? We're back!_"

Maria sighed. "_Looks like Grantham's done a runner._"

"_I never really expected him to hang around, did you?_" Auntie Sarah asked.

"_He can't get away with what he's done. He's worse than Kudlak._"

"_Oh, I don't think Mister Grantham is the sort to stay out of trouble. He'll get what's coming to him, eventually._"

"_Yeah, okay._" Maria agreed.

We watched, waiting for the boys to join us. Jen walked purposefully towards them, bypassing Lance and Clyde and heading straight for Luke and kissing him on the cheek. Beside me, Sarah Jane's mouth fell open before she smiled. I laughed; more at the expression on Clyde's face than anything.

"_That was a kiss?_"

"_You saved our skin, Luke. You deserved it. In fact__…_" She kissed him again, this time on the lips. I grinned and Sarah Jane laughed happily, leaning her head against mine.

Once Lance and the others had been returned home and we'd dropped Clyde and Maria off at their houses, Sarah Jane, Luke and I settled ourselves on the sofa in her living room. It was slightly odd, doing something so normal after the day we'd had, but it was nice too. I rested my head on Auntie Sarah's shoulder, sipping tea from my mug.

"Evie?" She asked after a moment. "Where's Kudlak's gun?"

I sighed. "I put it in the attic. I was hoping you'd forget about it."

She laughed. "I told you I wouldn't. I meant to ask… how did you know about the Ghost Wars?"

"TARDIS Databanks." I replied simply. "I guess that just… stuck." A couple more moments passed and then I frowned lightly. "Auntie Sarah… can we not mention this to the Doctor?"

"Why?"

"He's already got a thing about guns. He'll do his nut if he finds out we got kidnapped because we were too good at a shooting game."

Sarah Jane laughed and nodded, before ordering Luke to bring the pizza menu from the hall and earning herself two big hugs.


	200. Chapter 200

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Pacifism**

Age: 26

Location: Messaline

Date: July 6012

* * *

><p>"<em><strong>Evie Song, you're about as sly as a Nagolapian Stink Weasel." Jenny laughed, rolling over on her sister's bed and prodding at the brunette's stomach. <strong>_

_**Evie pouted and slapped her hand away. "You can talk, Jenny Noble. It was your fault they caught us this time."**_

_**"Alright then." The blonde said thoughtfully. "Let's make a bet... Whoever can get themselves involved with one of Dad's adventures without him knowing who they are or getting suspicious wins."**_

_**"How's that gonna work? He'll recognise us instantly."**_

_**Jenny smirked. "Not if we go back to before the first time he met us."**_

_**"What? And mess with the timelines?" Evie asked in mock innocence. Then she grinned. "Deal. Prepare to lose, Jen!"**_

* * *

><p>It wasn't until I materialised in a deserted tunnel that I realised just how stupid this latest idea of Jenny's was. She, Dad, Donna and Martha had told me snippits of that particular adventure and, from those, I realised that it was going to be harder than I'd first thought. It wasn't a matter of just turning up and ingratiating myself with them. They would be suspicious to say the least.<p>

Before I had a minute to formulate a plan, the sound of marching feet came closer and a troop of young men and woman appeared around the corner. They stopped as they saw me, their guns raising instinctively.

"What are you doing out here, soldier?" The young man at the front of the group asked gruffly.

His eyes travelled up and down my body quickly and I realised, with a hastily disguised smirk, that somehow I was wearing an outfit that allowed me to almost blend in with them. Tight black jeans and a plain forest green vest; slightly brighter than the greens of the tops they were wearing, but good enough to pass as a genetically created soldier.

"I got separated." I replied vaguely, wafting my hand behind me. "I'm not entirely sure."

There were several clicks as the weapons that had been pointed at me were disengaged and returned to the sides of their owners. I regarded the soldiers with a curious eye, watching them intently. After a couple of moments of almost silent muttering, the first young man stepped forwards again.

"We should get back to base. We were due back before now; General Cobb will start wondering."

There was a wordless nod of assent and the soldiers returned to marching formation, leaving me to follow along in their wake. I raised an eyebrow as they walked hurriedly through the maze of corridors, inwardly marvelling at just how easy that had been. They hadn't even questioned her story.

The tunnel opened out into a huge room and I looked around with interest, before moulding my features quickly as I remembered that I was supposed to be familiar with this place. It looked, to all intents and purposes, to be some kind of theatre. More soldiers were milling around the space; hundreds more. They collected supplies and weapons and received orders. As quickly as one troop entered the room, another left. A robotic voice droned constantly, numbers rising as it spoke.

"Over here." The soldier urged, nudging me forwards.

I followed with very little argument, wondering where we were going. Finding myself stopping in front of an older man, who looked me up and down with distain, I frowned.

"General Cobb?" I asked, trying to make me question sound more like a statement.

"What happened, soldier?"

Clearing my throat quietly, I looked around for inspiration. "We were ambushed–"

"By the Hath?" The General asked sharply.

I nodded, shrugging slightly. "Yeah, right. We were ambushed by the Hath and I must have been knocked out because the next thing I knew I was alone and weaponless."

"Where were you?"

As I hesitated, not sure of the answer, the young soldier at my side stepped forwards. "She was found in the Eastern Zone, Sir."

"The Eastern Zone, eh? There was an outbreak of pacifism there several generations back. You're not one of them, are you?"

I snorted at the question. "I'm no pacifist… Sir." The last word was ground out reluctantly. I looked around the room, any excuse not to meet the cold eyes of the man glaring at me. My gaze landed on three familiar figures crossing the floor towards us, another soldier at their side. "Who are they?"

Cobb looked over his shoulder, before glancing back at me, his eyes narrowed. "Neil, take her to find a gun and get her ready for the fight."

"Yes, Sir." The young soldier beside me saluted, leading me away towards a table near the back of the theatre as General Cobb made his way towards the newcomers.

I was impatient as Neil attempted to equip me for battle, his comments growing more confident and flirtatious as time passed. Finally I'd had enough and sighed deeply. Rolling my eyes, I shouldered my gun, turned my back and stalked back to where General Cobb was talking to Dad, Donna, Jenny and the young soldier with them.

"Ahh, soldier, just in time." The older man nodded approvingly at me as I joined them. "Cline…"

He hesitated as his eyes flickered towards me, evidently searching for a name I hadn't given him. Thinking quickly I shot him a tight-lipped smile, giving him the first name that entered my head. "Tana, Sir."

As he nodded and turned away again, I realised that Donna had caught the slight look of confusion that had entered my eyes at the name choice. I had absolutely no idea why I'd chosen it, but I supposed it was far enough away from Evie not to raise suspicions. Then I looked at the red-head more closely as she stared back, wondering if the expression on her face was recognition, but then she glanced away and I released a small sigh of relief.

"_Cline_, Tana, _at arms!_" General Cobb ordered.

As the young man on the General's other side raised his gun quickly, aiming it straight for Dad and Donna, I clenched my jaw uncomfortably. Then I slowly followed suit, not wanting to raise the soldiers' suspicions further.

"_Oi, oi, oi!_" Donna snapped. "_Alright! Cool the beans, Rambo!_"

"_Take them!_" Cobb ordered, glancing between Cline and me quickly. "_I won't have them spreading treason. And if you try anything, Doctor, I'll see that your woman dies first._"

I was unable to contain my snort of amusement at that comment. Quickly, though, I rearranged my features and turned the sound into a small cough as all eyes turned to me.

"_No… we're… we're not a couple._" Dad told the General quickly.

Donna shook her head, her tone resigned. "_I'm not his woman._"

Cline shot me a look, before motioning with his gun and stepping towards Dad and Donna. "_Come on… this way._"

"_I'm going to stop you, Cobb, you need to know that._" The Time Lord promised, pointing his finger threateningly.

The soldier didn't seem to heed the warning. "_I have an army and the breath of god on my side, Doctor, what'll you have?_"

"_This…_" He tapped at his forehead seriously, a movement I'd seen him make many times when he was trying to indicate that brainpower was the way forward. The action had no effect on the soldiers, apart from causing them to send him almost identical unimpressed looks.

Cobb shrugged and turned to Cline and me. "_Lock them up and guard them._"

"_What about the new soldier?_" The young man still pointing his gun at my family asked. Even in the current situation – where they didn't know who I was and I was posing as a soldier myself – it was a very dangerous position for him to be in.

Jenny moved forwards at the words, standing eagerly in front of the General. He sent her a cruel look, before pushing her roughly towards Dad. "_Can't trust her; she's from pacifist stock. Take them all._"

Cline glanced at me and nodded. I returned the movement, only inclining my head slightly, before we started shepherding my family through the crowds of preparing soldiers and down a flight of stone steps. Then we walked along another corridor which led to a series of cells. The young man opened one with a loud squeak and ushered Dad, Donna and Jenny inside, before locking the door.

"I'll stay here and watch them if you go and grab some drinks and snacks." He suggested, glancing quickly over his shoulder.

I nodded wordlessly and stalked away, my mind whirling as I sifted through a serious of escape plans.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hey lovelies! Happy update 200!**_

_**This isn't exactly the one I wanted as the 200th update, but the one I DID want isn't ready yet (read: I haven't even started it). Seeing as I promised to try and give you at least one update a week and there's a slim to non-existent chance I'll get to write the other chapter, I wanted to give you something and this was written, so here you go. **_

_**I hope it's OK!**_

_**x**_


	201. Pacifism 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Pacifism**

Returning to the corridor with a couple of water bottles and an arm full of food I'd sneaked from the supplies cupboard, I settled down on the floor beside Cline, leaning against the stone walls. My eyes flickered down to his belt where the ring containing the cell keys was attached carefully. Chewing the inside of my cheek, I narrowed my eyes and sighed deeply, inching my hand closer to the loop.

The metal ring was attached to the leather belt by a strip of fabric and a metal snap-fastener. Slowly I moved my fingertips closer to the fastening, searching for a way of distracting the young man so he wouldn't realise what I was doing.

"So… d'you come here often?" I asked, arching an eyebrow at him and smirking slightly. He laughed, the sound masking the quick snap as I pulled the popper apart and freed the keys.

"Relatively." He agreed as I wrapped my hand carefully around the keys, trying to prevent them making a noise as they clinked together. "I think the question should be, Tana, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?"

I laughed this time, shuffling slightly as I moved the keys behind my back. "I'm not a nice girl. Don't be fooled by the innocent face."

Just as I was about to move my hand and apply pressure on the point that would render him unconscious, we both heard Jenny's voice from inside the cell and Cline leapt to his feet at once. I swore under my breath, cursing my sister's uncanny ability to pick the wrong moments to demand attention. Rolling my eyes, I trained my gaze on the young soldier as he went to see what the matter was and pulled out the keys from behind me, clutching them tightly in my hand.

"_I'm not supposed to talk to you; I'm on duty._" Cline told the blonde, sounding as though he wished it wasn't the case. I rolled my eyes again as I imagined the look Jenny was shooting him, batting her eyelashes and making her baby blue eyes all wide and innocent.

"_I know… guarding me._" Jenny flirted. "_So does that mean I'm dangerous? Or that I need protecting?_"

"_Protecting from what?_"

"_Oh, I don't know… men like you?_"

Rolling my eyes for the third time in fewer minutes, I hauled myself to my feet, thinking that this would be the best time to ambush the young man, while his back was turned. There was a loud click and Cline groaned. Without being able to see what was happening, I could only guess that Jenny had managed to disarm him and was now aiming Cline's own gun at him.

"_Keep quiet and open the door._" Jenny ordered, her tone triumphant.

I watched as the young man reached for the keys, imagining his expression as he realised they were gone. "I… they're… I had them…"

"Looking for these?" I asked, stalking forward and jangling the keys towards the blonde.

Jenny's face fell and then she jabbed the gun into Cline even harder. "Open the door or I'll shoot him."

I shrugged. "Go ahead. I was gonna let you out anyway, but if you wanna shoot the kid, that's your choice."

Reaching forwards, I placed a hand gently around the base of Cline's neck. He relaxed for a moment, before I increased the pressure and he slumped to the ground in a heap. Carefully selecting the right key, I slid it into the lock and turned it with a click. The door swung open and the three prisoners surged towards me. Jenny narrowed her eyes, the gun trained in my direction, while Dad and Donna peered down at the soldier on the ground.

"What did you do to him!" Donna demanded.

"Nothing serious; he's just unconscious." I informed her quickly. "Look… we'd better get moving if you don't want to be discovered."

Almost reluctantly they seemed to realise I was right. With the information that had been downloaded into her head in the progenation machine the most useful way of getting them around the building, Jenny led the way with the Doctor and then Donna following and me bringing up the rear.

Donna shot me a suspicious look as we descended a flight of stairs. "Why are you helping us? Tana… isn't it?"

Grinning, I shrugged. "Yep… Tana. That's me. I'm from the Eastern Zone, I guess. You know what they say about them… Pacifists."

She obviously didn't believe my words, but she was prevented from arguing as the pair in front of her came to a stop and the Doctor whispered, "_That's the way out._" Jenny cocked her gun, but he stopped her. "_Don't you dare!_"

"_Let me distract this one?_" Donna suggested in a stage whispered. She smirked. "_I have picked up a few womanly wiles over the years._"

As she flipped her hair over her shoulder and started to round the corner, the Doctor glanced at me for some inexplicable reason. An almost companionable, knowing look passed between us and he stopped her quickly. "_Let's… save your wiles for later._" He suggested. "_In case of emergency._"

Donna nodded knowingly, but a small hint of embarrassment moved through her eyes. Noticing, I nudged her with my shoulder as the Doctor and Jenny bent and watched something on the floor in front of them.

"Hey…" I whispered, so that only she could hear me. "I reckon you'd have had that covered."

She looked at me oddly for a moment and then smiled. "Thanks."

I winked and turned back to watch as a small, windup mouse made its way quickly across the floor. It stopped and a guard appeared. As he bent to pick the toy up, Jenny darted forward and karate chopped the back of his neck, causing the same effect as my squeeze to Cline's had done.

"_I was gonna distract him, not clobber him!_" The Doctor snapped angrily.

Jenny just shrugged, looking as though she didn't understand the problem. "_Well it worked, didn't it?_"

"Nice move." I muttered, grinning at her as Dad crouched beside the soldier and riffled through his pockets.

"_They must all have a copy of that new map…_" He muttered, straightening up. Then he waved the toy mouse in Jenny's face warningly. "_Just… stay there and don't hurt anyone._"

I rolled my eyes and sighed, a combination that I realised I was doing far too frequently recently – especially when I in Dad's presence; whichever regeneration it was. Jenny glanced at me, an expression I knew very well on her face. It was the look she got whenever she thought Dad was being overprotective and paranoid. It was the look that usually came before she suggested something stupid or dangerous… or both. It was the look that had got me into this situation in the first place.

"What?" I muttered.

"Nothing." She replied innocently, smiling and turning to follow Dad and Donna along the corridor. I rolled my eyes yet again and shook my head, hot on her heels.

The corridors were like a maze; twisting and turning and going on for miles. It was a good job the Doctor had found the new map on the guard because I had no idea where we were after about half an hour of walking around; seemingly in circles.

Finally we found ourselves wandering into some kind of control room. Rather than the bare stone walls of the tunnels, wires and pipes were slung from the walls and ceiling, hanging over long forgotten bits of machinery.

"_Wait!_" The Doctor cried out as Jenny and I continued walking. "_This is it! The hidden tunnel! There must be a control panel…_"

"_It's another one of those numbers… They're everywhere!_" Donna muttered, frowning in concentration at a metal strip stamped with a series of numbers on the wall above her.

"_The original builders must have left them._" The Doctor muttered dismissively, not paying attention. "_Some old cataloguing system._"

"_You got a pen?_" The woman requested as the Doctor started scanning with his screwdriver. Behind them, Jenny and I just watched in silence. "_Bit of paper? 'Cos d'you see, the numbers are counting down._" Clamping the sonic screwdriver between his teeth, the Doctor rummaged around in his pockets for a moment before handing her paper and a pen. Then he returned to his task. "_See… this one ends in one four, the prison cell said one six…_"

"_Always thinking, both of you… who are you people?_" Jenny asked in confusion.

I looked at her carefully and smiled slightly, recognising the expression on her face as one I saw all too often. She was so sweet and innocent and most of the time had absolutely no idea what was going on around her. The fact that she was born as an adult explained so much about my sister.

"_I told you… I'm the Doctor._"

"_The Doctor? That's it?_"

"_That's all he ever says._" Donna agreed in a sing-song voice.

"_So you don't have a name either? Are you an anomaly too?_"

"_No._" Dad told her shortly, breaking off from scanning the wall for a split second to look up at the blonde.

Donna snorted. "_Oh, come off it! You're the most anomalous bloke I've ever met!_"

Not taking any notice, the Doctor ripped a plank away from the wall triumphantly, revealing a panel behind it. "_Here it is!_"

"_And Time Lords?_" Jenny asked, stepping closer. "_What are they for, exactly?_"

"_For? They're not… they're not 'for' anything._"

I longed to be able to tell her that they were for running around and making a nuisance of themselves and leaving untold devastation in their wake, but I knew that would lead to more awkward questions so I kept my mouth clamped shut and just listened instead. As though she'd noticed my unintentional twitch, Jenny looked at me curiously for a moment.

Then she shrugged. "_So what do you do?_"

"_I travel… through time and space._"

"_He saves planets, rescues civilisations, defeats terrible creatures._" Donna enlightened the blonde, although I realised that her gaze was flickering over me as well, including me. I smiled, grateful that she was trying to make me feel welcome even though I'd just turned up out of the blue. "_And runs a lot. Seriously, there's an outrageous amount of running involved._"

I laughed at that comment, knowing how true it was. Before Jenny could answer, the panel the Doctor had been fiddling with slid open and he gave a triumphant cry. At precisely the same moment, the sound of voices and running feet in the distance reminded us that we needed to keep moving.

The Doctor looked around at us and raised his eyebrows. "_Now, what were you saying about running?_"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Guess what's back tonight guys! ;)**_


	202. Pacifism 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Pacifism**

We skidded to a halt. Our path along the corridors – transformed from dark, dank stone tunnels to clinical, metal passageways – was blocked by a criss-crossing of red laser beams that stretched the entire length of the corridor.

"_That's not mood lighting, is it?_" Donna asked in a low voice, her forehead crinkling almost comically as she stared at the beams with dismay.

Testing the strength of the lasers, the Doctor pulled the wind up mouse from his pocket and threw it towards the lights. There was a flash of bright light and a mechanical squealing as the mouse exploded the second it hit the beam. I flinched, imagining what would happen to a person in that situation.

"_No… I didn't think so._" Donna concluded with a wince.

"_Arming device…_" The Doctor muttered, looking around for something. His eyes fell on a machine just behind them to the left and he moved towards it hastily.

I went to stand behind him, unable to resist as his fingers danced over the buttons. Realising I was there after a couple of seconds, he shot me a curious look and I just shrugged, reaching forwards to flick a switch, but he knocked my hands away and frowned.

"_There's more of these…_" Donna muttered, making me turn to see what she meant. I realised she was looking at the numbers again and looked back at the control panel, not interested in a load of numbers. "_Always eight numbers, counting down, the closer we get…_"

"_Here we go!_" The Doctor shouted beside me, making me jump. I frowned at him and he smirked back.

"_You better be quick._" Donna urged.

Jenny nodded. "_The General…_" She headed quickly back in the direction we'd come, but Dad grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.

"_Where are you going?_"

"_I can hold them up._"

"_No._" He told her firmly. "_We don't need any more dead._"

The blonde frowned in confusion. "_But it's them or us._"

"_It doesn't mean you have to kill them!_"

"_I'm trying to save your life!_"

"_Listen to me… the killing… after a while it infects you._" Dad told her seriously. "_And once it does you're never rid of it._"

I looked away, biting my lip. Jenny had been born a soldier, born out of a machine with military strategies and how to fire a gun embedded into her memory. I hadn't… and yet I didn't doubt that I'd killed far more than Jenny had. She was born for war… born to kill and yet I was the one who did it without a second thought if I had to.

"You alright?" Donna murmured, seeing the haunted expression in my eyes.

I nodded hastily, pasting a cheerful grin back on my face. "Course."

"_We don't have a choice._" Jenny said quickly, shaking her head.

"_We always have a choice._"

She shook her head again, pulling away from him. "_I'm sorry._"

As she sprinted away in the direction of the shouting and banging heading towards us, I rushed past Donna and Dad and chased after her. They were shouting our names, but neither of us looked back. Side by side we stood at the makeshift blockade around the corner and glanced quickly at the other. With identical determined nods and grim expressions, we raised our guns and braced ourselves.

My mind was whirling as the soldiers approached. I sneaked a glance at my sister and saw that she was thinking, different emotions flickering through her eyes at rapid speed. She was having doubt, I could see that easily. Dad had got through to her and she was realising that she didn't want to do this.

"There they are!" A soldier shouted. "_At arms._"

Without thinking, we both opened fire on the oncoming soldiers. They returned the shots, several bullets whistling past my head and only nearly missing hitting their target. Beside me, Jenny's face was a mask of grim determination still and she barely blinked as bullets were traded between us and them.

Suddenly she went down and I dropped to my knees, scanning her urgently for any sign that she'd been hit. Glancing up, she met my eyes and smiled, shaking her head to indicate that she was fine. After a moment or two I leapt up, firing off shots. When we both ducked down behind cover again, Jenny's face showed her change of heart only too clearly. She looked at me with wide eyes.

Before she stood to face the soldiers again, I touched her arm and stopped her. Indicting upwards, I glanced at the thick pipe that ran between us and the soldiers. She widened her eyes, as though realising that the look meant.

"_Come on!_" The Doctor's voice shouted from where he and Donna had remained.

"_Coming!_" We chorused.

There was another shout, indistinguishable over the gunshots, but then everything went quiet. Curiously, we exchanged a look and rose slowly above the blockade.

"_You are children of the machine!_" General Cobb was shouting in our direction. He approached, his arms open to show he wasn't trying to trick us. "_You're on my side. Join us! Join us in the war against the Hath. It's in your blood, girls, don't deny it!_"

Jenny looked sideways at me, her eyes questioning. I inclined my head slightly and winked. Her gun, pointing at the General, raised even more and she fired. The pipe she hit immediately began to hiss, steam showing down on the soldiers. Without waiting to see what they'd do, I grabbed Jenny's hand and dragged her round the corner.

Her hand slipped out of mine, not as used to running as I was and unable to keep up. She was several steps behind me and, as the laser beams began appearing back in place and I sped up to reach the other end of the corridor before they caught up with me, I realised that Jenny was trapped on the other side.

"Jen!" I screamed, skidding to a halt beside Donna and the Doctor.

"_No, no, no, no, no!_" Dad shouted furiously. "_The circuit's moved back!_"

"_Zap it back again!_" Donna ordered, jumping up and down slightly in her agitation.

"_The controls are back there!_"

Jenny looked over her shoulder at the sound of gunfire behind her. "_They're coming._"

"_Wait… j-just… there isn't… Jenny I can't…_"

"_I'll have to manage on my own._" The blonde said, throwing her gun down and standing, straight as a ramrod, in front of the criss-crossing beams. "_Watch and learn, father._"

My mouth dropped open as she raised her hands and then launched into a series of backflips. She cleared the laser beams easily, coming to a graceful halt in front of us and beaming at Dad, trying to catch her breath.

"Bloody hell…" I muttered, shaking my head and grinning broadly. I had no idea she could do anything remotely like that.

"_But that was impossible…_" Donna muttered, her eyes wide.

The Doctor laughed delightedly. "_Not impossible, just a bit unlikely!_" He scooped her up into a tight hug, swinging her round as she giggled. "_Brilliant! You were brilliant!_"

"_I didn't kill him!_" Jenny told them quickly, looking between Dad and Donna as she spoke incredibly quickly. "_General Cobb; I could have killed him, but I didn't. You were right; I had a choice!_ Tana thought of the plan, but it was me who did it!"

I blinked and then jumped as I realised she meant me. I'd forgotten about my different name for a minute.

It looked as though the Doctor was going to say something, but the sound of the soldiers rounding the corner draw all of our attentions. Donna grabbed Jenny and I by the hands and pulled us away, while Dad paused for a moment. As we reached a fork in the tunnels, he joined us, silently indicating that we should take the left turning.

We walked in silence for a long time, before Jenny turned to look curiously at Donna. "So…" She started tentatively. "You travel together, but you're not… together?"

I snorted, earning myself a bemused frown from the red-head. "_What? No. No! No way. No… no. We're friends, that's all. I mean, we're not even the same species… there's probably laws against it._"

"Sounds like you're protesting too much to me…" I muttered mischievously shooting her a wink. Donna blushed and went to slap my arm. "What? You're gorgeous, he's… well… he's got a nice coat."

Jenny laughed, realising that I was messing around. "You're joking!"

"Yes, sweetie, I am." Then I grinned again. "His coat's not that nice."

"Oh, shut up, Tana!" Donna ordered, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips, before repeating her earlier words firmly. "We're just friends."

The blonde nodded seriously. "_And what's it like, the travelling?_"

Donna sighed. "_Oh… never a dull moment. Can be terrifying, brilliant and funny – sometimes all at the same time! I've seen some amazing things though… whole new worlds._"

"_Oh, I'd love to see new worlds._" Jenny told her enthusiastically.

"_You will… won't she, Doctor?_" The woman assured her, turning to the Time Lord for confirmation.

"_Hmm?_"

"_D'you think Jenny will see any new worlds?_"

He smirked a tiny smirk. "_I suppose so…_"

Jenny's face registered complete disbelief, as though she honestly couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her eyes flickered between Donna's and the Doctor's, unable to take in what the words meant. "_You mean… you mean you'll take me with you?_"

"_We can't leave you here, can we?_" The Doctor reasoned. Then his eyes moved to mine. "Either of you."

"Oh…" I made a small noise, realising that this was a problem I hadn't envisaged. "I dunno… I..."

"Please come, Tana!" Jenny begged, grabbing my hand tightly in hers and crushing it to her chest. Her eyes begged with me to concede to her demand. "You're like my sister. We've got our own little family now! What have you got here? Please say yes!"

"I…" Glancing between the three figures surrounding me I suddenly felt very trapped. Donna was sending me encouraging smiles, the Doctor was watching with a hint of amusement and Jenny looked as though she was about to resort to kneeling on the floor begging. Realising that, at the moment, there was very little I could do, I nodded weakly. "Alright… thank you."

Jenny squealed, hugging each of us in turn. Then she grinned and grabbed my hand. "_Come on, let's get a move on!_"

The Doctor's shout for us to be careful followed along the corridor as Jenny dragged me excitedly along in her wake.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Firstly – thank you to everyone who's read/reviewed the last couple of chapters! It really does mean a lot!**_

_**Secondly – I am so sorry for the delay in updating. The Easter holidays have been slightly mental; the first week I went on holiday with my cousins and last week I was at my parents because my Dad was having an operation. They're also having building work done and their internet is down. Two weeks with just my phone internet – which I tried to limit so that my bill didn't give me a heart attack – is apparently almost too much for me to deal with without going mad!**_

_**Thirdly – for various reasons, (massive amounts of self-doubt, writers' block, work, exhaustion, etc.) I feel like my writing abilities are suffering and I was wondering whether you lovely people would do me a favour.**_

_**If you have any prompts for one-shot mini-fics that you'd like me to have a go at, shove them in my ask box on tumblr (there's a link on my profile) and I'll give them a go. I want to keep them on tumblr rather than here because I'm still slightly confused over the fact I've already managed to write and post 41 fics. So yeah, if you tell me what show/characters/ships/scenarios you'd like me to tackle I'll give them a go around struggling with my multi-chapter fics! The only things I won't write are smut (because my attempts are laughably bad) and RPF (because writing about fictional characters is one thing, real people is something else…) and obviously shows I don't watch!**_

_**Thank you so much darlings!**_

_**Bex x**_


	203. Pacifism 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Pacifism**

"Hang on, Jen…" I muttered, pulling my hand out of the blonde's and pausing. "I can hear something…" Together we listened and then we realised that it was the sound of banging and gunfire. "Wait here… I'll go and hurry them along."

She nodded as I turned and headed back the way we'd run. As I got closer, I could hear Dad and Donna talking, their voices low as though they were discussing something incredibly serious. Before rounding the corner and coming face to face with them, I hesitated and stopped. I knew better than to eavesdrop, but I couldn't help myself.

"… _when I look at her now I can see them._" The Doctor was saying in a grave voice. "_The hole they left, all the pain that filled it. I just don't know if I can face that every day._"

"_It won't stay like that. She'll help you… we'll both help you._" Donna told him softly.

"_But when they died that part of me died with them. It'll never come back. Not now._"

"_I tell you something Doctor._" Donna's voice came, stronger than before. "_Something I've never told you before… I think you're wrong._"

I thought he was wrong too. If they were talking about what I thought they were talking about, he was definitely wrong. My heart seemed to contract slightly at the sadness of Dad's voice; the despair and longing that was evident in his tone.

Just as I pulled myself back together, Jenny careered into me, clutching my bicep firmly. "What took you so long?"

"Oh… I was…"

"Well they're through." The blonde informed me. "Come on!"

She headed past and I trailed in her wake. Once I'd joined them, the trio started running again. We followed the Doctor as he led the way confidently through the maze of tunnels. My mind was still on the overheard conversation and I couldn't shake the sadness that had gripped me at Dad's tone.

I hadn't known he had had a family before… he never talked about it and the TARDIS didn't seem to have any information on them, unless it was encrypted. Then again, that seemed like the sort of thing the Doctor would do; encrypt information about his former family so that he was the only one who could read it.

I sighed, earning myself a curious looked from Jenny as we ran. It made sense, I supposed. Before we'd met Jenny by complete accident four years ago, Dad had never mentioned her. So, he thought she was dead, but still he never mentioned her. And he never mentioned his son, my brother. Well, the Human-Time Lord metacrisis that had been created between Donna and his old hand. But that still made him my brother as far as I was concerned. Dad had never mentioned him once.

"_We're trapped!_" Donna pointed out needlessly as we reached a dead-end. I almost crashed into her, too distracted by my thoughts to realise she'd stopped.

"_Can't be…_" The Doctor muttered. "_This must be the temple… this is a door…_"

Donna spotted more numbers on the wall. "_And again! We're down to one two now._"

"_I've got it!_"

"_I can hear them!_" Jenny called out, drawing out attention to the approaching sounds.

"_Nearly done…_"

"_These can't be a cataloguing system…_" Donna muttered in confusion.

"_They're getting closer._"

"_Then get back here!_" Dad ordered.

"_They're too similar… too familiar…_"

Jenny rolled her eyes at the Doctor's words, the achingly familiar I'm-not-a-child-so-don't-tell-me-what-to-do expression clear on her face. "_Not yet!_"

"_Now!_" Dad shouted. There were a couple more seconds while he attempted to sonic the panel in front of him to get the door open. "_Got it!_"

Once we were over the threshold, he closed the door, blocking the advancing soldiers from view. My mind was still distracted and I didn't pay any attention to their conversation, glancing up at the room we were in almost unseeingly. It was only when I caught the words, 'Fusion-drive transport' that I looked up.

"Wow… I've always wanted to see inside one of these…" I exclaimed, my eyes lighting up as I took in the spaceship around us.

Realising I had raised their suspicions once more, I shrugged and walked away. Moments later they ran past me, Jenny grabbing my hand and pulling me with them. I willingly let her drag me along, allowing her to direct me so that I didn't injure myself while keeping my thoughts where they were.

"_It's the Hath._" Jenny said, much to my confusion until my eyes fell on the shower of sparks that indicated someone was trying to cut their way in. "_That door's not gonna last much longer. And if General Cobb gets through down there, war's gonna break out._"

My attention was still elsewhere as they moved away to a computer screen, the Doctor reading the information while the two women asked questions. I sat heavily on a discarded crate and watched them unseeingly. I didn't understand why the knowledge that Dad had had a family before was so unsettling. Perhaps it was because I hadn't known anything about them. I briefly wondered whether that would happen if I died; whether Dad would just confine me to an encrypted data drive in the TARDIS data banks and that would be the end of it.

"Tana?" Jenny murmured softly, crouching in front of me and squeezing my hands. "They've figured it out… it's been seven days since war broke out. Come on…"

I nodded and followed as the running started again. We made our way through the control room until we came face to face with none other than Martha Jones. They Doctor hugged her tightly, overjoyed to see her again. As Martha hugged Donna as well, I felt relief well up inside me that she was alright. So didn't know who we were, though, so there was no hug for me or Jenny.

"_That's the General._" The Doctor muttered as the ground beneath us shook slightly and voices were audible from below. "_We haven't got much time._"

"_We don't even know what we're looking for!_" Donna pointed out quickly.

Martha screwed up her face slightly, frowning. "_Is it me… or can you smell flowers?_"

"_Yes…_" The Doctor paused, thinking. "_Bougainvillea… I say we follow our nose!_"

Yet again Jenny grabbed my hand as we started to run. I felt bad, knowing that she was getting too attached to me. I couldn't stay with her after this was over and she couldn't come with me. Growling internally, I made a mental note to tell my Jenny off for her stupid idea as soon as I saw her.

We soon found ourselves in some sort of jungle. Some sort of jungle on board a spaceship. My eyes just as wide as the blonde's, we made our way right to the middle of the room, where a large sphere stood proudly. Inside the glass ball brightly coloured gases swirled and mixed and separated and shone. My mouth dropped open at the beauty encased in the sphere.

"_Is that the Source?_" Donna asked breathlessly.

"_It's beautiful._" Jenny said in a reverent tone.

"Amazing…" I breathed.

Martha tilted her head slightly. "_What is it?_"

"_Terraforming!_" The Doctor supplied quickly, examining it. "_It a… third generation… terraforming device._"

"_So why are we suddenly in Kew Gardens?_" Donna demanded, slightly sarcastically.

The Doctor smiled indulgently at her, before looking around. "_Because that's what it does. All this… only bigger; much bigger! It's in a transit state. Producing all this must help keep it stable before they finally–_"

There were two loud crashes from either side of the room, alerting them to the presence of both warring races. From the trees and bushes at one end the Hath emerged and from the other came General Cobb and his soldiers. Their guns were raised, the familiar clicking sound meeting their ears as they were made ready to shoot.

"_Stop!_" Dad shouted at once, holding up his hands. "_Hold your fire!_"

"_What is this?_" The General demanded. "_Some kind of trap?_"

"_You said you wanted this war over._"

"_I want this war won!_" The soldier corrected.

"_You can't win; no one can. You don't even know why you're here. Your whole history; it's Chinese whispers… getting more distorted the more it's passed on. This is the Source…_" He pointed to the beautiful sphere. "_This is what you're fighting over; a device to rejuvenate a planet's ecosystem. It's nothing mystical… it's from a laboratory, not some creator. It's a bubble of gases… a cocktail of stuff for accelerated evolution. Methane, hydrogen, ammonia, amino acids, proteins, nucleic acids… it's used to make barren planets habitable._" He opened his arms and stared around him. "_Look around you! It's not for killing… it's bringing life. If you allow it, it can lift you out of these dark tunnels and into the bright, bright sunlight. No more fighting. No more killing._" Without warning, he lifted the sphere off its stand and raised it above his head. Instantly both the soldiers and the Hath looked wary, their grips on their weapons tightening. "_I am the Doctor and I declare this war is over!_"

With a crash he dropped the sphere, causing it to shatter as it hit the ground. Instantly the gases began to diffuse, shining and shimmering as they spread through the air, filling the room with a feeling of calm and promise. There was hope.

Both sides lowered their weapons as everyone watched the cloud of gases moving slowly up and around. I felt a smile tugging at my lips as I watched, content for a moment to just stand and observe the movement.

There was a loud bang, the peace shattered. I looked sideways and saw Jenny being cradled on the ground in Dad's arms. A sharp pain rippled through my chest, although I knew that this was supposed to happen, that Jenny would be fine. Biting my lip, I watched the scene unfolding around me. When Jenny's eyes closed and Dad breathed heavily, the pain and despair obvious on his face, I turned and stalked away, unable to watch.

Cline found me a while later, resting a gentle hand on my shoulder. Evidently he didn't harbour any hard feelings after me knocking him out earlier. He pulled me to my feet and wrapped an arm around my shoulders.

"Come on, Tana. We're going to give Jenny a proper burial. The Doctor and the others left. They were looking for you, but…"

I smiled weakly. "Where's my sister?"

"Your…" He paused, frowning. Then he realised who I meant. "She's this way."

With a weak smile, he led me back to the big theatre where I'd first met them. There was a table on the stage, covered by a white cloth. On top of the cloth, as though she was sleeping, lay Jenny. I stood motionless beside her head, gazing down at her while Cline and one of the Hath prepared her for the burial ceremony.

"Come on, Jen… wakey wakey." I murmured in a raw voice. I knew she was coming back, but it didn't make seeing her like this any easier.

She exhaled and I smiled, watching the small cloud of terraforming gas leaving her body. It had been the kick her hearts needed to work properly; the reason she didn't regenerate. I beamed at her body as Cline and the Hath stood in shock beside me. When Jenny's eyes flicked open, I laughed.

"_Hello, boys!_" She almost giggled. Then her eyes flickered to mine. "Tana… let's get out of here."

I smirked and nodded, yanking her up off the table and grasping her hand tightly as we sprinted the length of the room, through the door and in the direction of the shuttle ports. Finding a two-man one took several minutes and, as we were preparing to leave, Cline's voice crackled through over the intercom.

"_What're you doing? Come back!_"

"_Sorry, can't stop!_" Jenny told them with a grin. She winked at me. "_What're you gonna do, tell my Dad?_"

"_But where are you going?_"

"_Oh… we've got the whole Universe!_" She told them, glancing at me again, almost for reassurance. This time it was my turn to wink. "_Planets to save, civilizations to rescue, creatures to defeat… and an awful lot of running to do!_"

We both laughed as the engines kicked into life and we shot upwards. I sighed, glancing at the blonde on my right. She caught my look and almost frowned at me.

"What?"

"Nothing." I assured her quickly. "I just… Jenny… my name isn't Tana. It's Evie… Evie Song."

She shrugged. "Why did you lie?"

"It's complicated… you'll understand soon. The next time you see me."

"The next time?" Jenny looked hurt as she realised what I was saying.

I sighed and nodded. "I have to go. I'm sorry… it won't be long though. And… I'm sorry for being a bit of a cow when you see me. It was a lot to get my head around at the time. It gets better, though, I promise."

She looked totally bemused by my words, but returned my smile as I typed coordinates into my Vortex Manipulator and vanished.

* * *

><p>"<strong>EVIE SONG!" Dad shouted seconds after the girl materialised in her bedroom on the TARDIS. She winced, knowing what was coming. <strong>

**Jenny was sitting on the end of her bed but, at the sight of her sister, she stood up abruptly and jabbed an accusing finger in Evie's direction. "I can't believe you went THERE."**

"**Yeah, well, I told you I'd win. Where did yo–" Evie's mouth dropped open as new memories flooded her mind, meshing with the events that were already there. "You didn't!"**

**The blonde smirked, exactly the same smirk as her sister had shot at her moments earlier. "Oh yes, I did."**

"**But… but…"**

"**Admittedly you win the bet because Dad wasn't even there, but it was so worth it!"**

"**I hate you, d'you know that?"**

"**No, you don't." Jenny replied confidently. **

"**I cannot believe you crashed my first date!"**

**Jenny shrugged. "I was curious."**

**Before Evie could say anything, the door to her bedroom crashed open and the Doctor stood framed in the gap, his eyes flashing irately and muttering angrily about her having absolutely no respect for timelines. Both girls gulped.**

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Hey lovelies! Thanks for reading/reviewing! You're awesome! :)**_

_**If you're interested, the mini-fics I've written (so far) from the prompts I was sent can be found on my tumblr page under the Attempts to Destroy Writers' Block link :)**_

_**x**_


	204. Dor'een

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Dor'een**

_**A/N: Hello darlings! I thought an explanation was necessary before we get into this entry. **_

_**Basically, it's based on the Doctor's line, '**_**I came here a long time ago with my granddaughter**_**' from **_**The Rings of Akhaten**_**. I know that obviously the granddaughter he was talking about was Susan, but this idea popped into my head while I was re-watching the episode. **_

_**It's gonna switch between perspectives, so Evie's bits will be normal and Jess' will be in italics. Hopefully it won't be too confusing! :)**_

* * *

><p><span>Age<span>: 49/10

Location: Markets of Tiaanamat, Akhaten

Date: 4901 AD

* * *

><p>Mum had persuaded the Doctor that we could do with some 'family' time after recent events – namely the four of us being separated when Dad got into an argument with the TARDIS and her sending us to opposite ends of the Universe as punishment. At least, I'd grudgingly admitted, she'd kept Jessica safely on board and occupied until we found our way back again.<p>

But now we found ourselves leaving the blue box and wandering round the bustling markets on Tiaanamat. Mum and Dad walked ahead, swinging Jessica's arms between them as I followed, smiling at the domestic scene in front of me. They paused so that the Doctor could explain something to my daughter, while Mum and I examined the soft, slightly shimmery fabric for sale on the stall closest to us.

"Watch out!" Dad exclaimed as someone barged past, almost knocking Jessica to the floor. He frowned after the retreating figure, before swinging her up onto his shoulders with a surprising display of strength.

"Wow! I can see everything!" Jessica laughed, her eyes wide as she looked around the market eagerly. "Can we go over there, Pops?"

He glanced at me and I shrugged, nodding. "Sure, just wait a second while Mum pays for–"

But it was too late. In the split second I turned to glance towards the stall where Mum was bartering over the cost of a pale blue shawl, they had vanished. With a deep sigh and the feeling that something would inevitably go wrong now we weren't there to keep an eye on the pair, I leant against the frame of the stall and waited until the deal had taken place.

"Bargain!" Mum chuckled, holding out the fabric for me to inspect. "Where's your father?"

"No idea." I sighed. "I turned around and they'd gone."

"They'll be fine. How much trouble can they really get up to here?"

I arched an eyebrow. "You really need to ask?"

Mum smiled a small, crooked smile and linked her arm through mine. "He'll look after her, don't worry."

* * *

><p>"<em>Pops!" I laughed and leant down to force him to return me to my feet. "What are those?"<em>

_He followed my arm as he set me down gently. I was pointing to a stall selling strong smelling round objects. "Those are Ysbytion Chaa'nts. It's a bit like cheese, but made from the juices from the Chaa'ntaaan plant. It's pretty disgusting stuff."_

"_Can I try it?"_

"_Why? It's disgusting."_

_I pouted at him, making my eyes as big and pleading as I could. "Please, Pops?"_

"_OK." He agreed quickly, ruffling my hair and dragging me towards the stall by my hand._

_He argued with the stall owner until they agreed that I would be allowed to try a tiny piece and, if I liked it, Pops would buy an actual Chaa'nt. He watched my face carefully as I popped the small piece of whiteish food into my mouth and bit down. At once I pulled a face and stuck out my tongue, scraping the mushed up Chaa'nt out of my mouth and throwing it into the bin beside the stall._

"_Eww!"_

"_I told you." He replied smugly. _

_Taking my hand, we started wandering through the stalls once more. Pops explained various objects to me and told me stories about the different species of stallholders. We were just turning away from a stall selling traditional Utupsi toys carved from Rebublum wood – Pops had bought me several wooden animals, including a wooden Slitheen, and a beautifully carved box to keep them in – when we bumped into someone. The force caused the stranger to drop whatever they were carrying._

_I jumped backwards as the creature began to bark agitatedly. Pops barked back, his head on one side as he surveyed the stranger. Then he grinned and clapped them on the shoulder, before turning to me with a broad smile._

"_Jess, this is Dor'een." He explained, before evidently retuning the introduction in the same barking as he'd been talking in before. I stared between them as they barked at each other, before blinking at Pops in confusion. "Dor'een says that there's some kind of show going on at the other end of the market. She thought you might like it. Apparently they're doing a show of the story of Trug and Betraxis."_

"_Who?"_

_Pops blinked at me before rolling his eyes and barking something at Dor'een, who let out a sound that could have been a laugh. Considering that Pops starting laughing too, I assumed that was exactly what the sound was. _

"_What?"_

"_Trug and Betraxis are like… Prince Charming and Snow White on Earth. It's a traditional Akhatenean story."_

"_Oh… sounds good."_

_Nodding approvingly Pops evidently thanked Dor'een, who bowed her head in response before shuffling away. Swinging me onto his shoulders once more, so that we could move more easily through the crowd, Pops set off through the mass of stalls and people until we came to a makeshift theatre where the show was about to start._

* * *

><p>"Mum… it's been hours and there's no sight of them." I moaned, an uneasy feeling settling over me as I swept my gaze over the area. "That's never a good thing where Dad's concerned."<p>

"He won't let anything happen to her." Mum reassured me, rubbing my arm and smiling. "They're probably just exploring and annoying people."

"That's what I'm worried about." I sighed, still searching through the crowds.

Mum hugged me, before pulling away and raising an eyebrow. "They'll be back before you– Look! What did I tell you?"

I glanced to where she was indicating and broke into a relieved smile. Dad and Jessica were making their way through the market towards us, their joined hands swinging between them as my daughter chattered away enthusiastically. There was a large bag swinging from Dad's hand and I briefly wondered what he'd been spoiling her with this time, before I swept Jessica into a tight hug, kissing her forehead and her cheeks until she pushed me away.

"Mum!" She complained in embarrassment, wiping her face to remove all traces of my affection. "Get off!"

"What's happened?" Dad asked, completely nonplussed.

"I thought one of your rules was 'don't wander off'?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Does that not apply to you?"

"We thought you were following." He replied easily. "Did you have a good time? We definitely did."

"Pops bought me toys and gave me this gross cheese thing and then Dor'een told us about a play that we went to see about the story of Trug and Betraxis, which is really cool!" Jessica informed us excitedly, looking between me and Mum in quick succession. "My favourite bit is when the Cyberman comes in and tries to kill Betraxis, but Trug fights it off with the Roman sword and saves her."

"The Roman sword?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "As in…"

"Rory the Roman!" Jessica grinned. "Gramps' sword. Why didn't you tell me the story before?"

"Because no one told _me_ the story." I replied looking at my parents almost accusingly. Putting an arm around Jessica's shoulders I glanced at them quickly. "Why don't you tell me the story while we go back to the TARDIS?"

As we wandered away, Jessica happily recounting the play she'd watched, I clearly heard Mum's voice behind us and laughed softly at her words. "And who, exactly, is Dor'een?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: I am horrible and rubbish for not updating for so long. I know I keep saying I'll try and update more regularly, but things have been a bit mental recently (working, going on holiday, applying for more jobs, internet being an idiot, trying to keep up with multiple fics… the list goes on). I WILL try and be more consistant from now on, because you guys are awesome for not losing patience and yelling at me to get my shit together!**_

_**x**_


	205. The Niece of a Lord

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: The Niece of a Lord**

Age: 25

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: 15th March 1909

* * *

><p>"Where are we going?" Tom asked curiously as I handed him a bundle of clothes and pushed him into my bedroom on board the TARDIS.<p>

"You'll find out soon enough." I laughed. "Just get changed so we'll fit in."

I left him grumbling about not being told anything and went to raid the wardrobe for something to wear myself. Flicking through the rails of clothes, I pulled out a long, full skirt in deep blue, slightly shiny fabric. A high-necked white shirt, complete with ruffles, and a jacket that matched the skirt were pulled from the rack moments later and thrown over my arm as I continued through the wardrobe in search of a belt, shoes and a large hat. The idea of wearing such an outfit was almost repellent, but I was also well aware that if I wanted a quiet trip we needed to fit in.

Finally encased in the outfit, the hat perched atop my carefully pinned hair, I studied my reflection in the mirror. With a satisfied smirk, deciding that I looked every inch the Edwardian woman, I headed through the TARDIS corridors back to my bedroom to collect Tom before we headed out on our date.

Opening the door, I raised my arm above my head, leaning in the doorway and waiting for his reaction.

"Wow… babe… you look…"

"You don't look so bad yourself." I told him, crossing the room and reaching up on my tiptoes to give him a kiss, before pulling away to appraise his outfit. He was in a dark dress coat and trousers, a white shirt beneath a charcoal grey waistcoat and a red tie. "You look almost respectable."

He chuckled and kissed me again. "I'm guessing from these outfits we're not going for pizza?"

"Would I drag you away from your revision for pizza?"

"Yes." Tom replied immediately. I shrugged, knowing I'd done just that many times before. Just because he was studying to become a doctor didn't mean he shouldn't take breaks. "But I'm not complaining."

"Your parents will if I distract you too much." I reminded him, rolling my eyes and thinking back to the last time I'd seen Mr and Mrs Parker.

"Forget about my parents." Tom ordered, pulling me towards the console room. "Where are we going?"

With a grin, I threw open the TARDIS doors and ushered him outside. "Welcome to Edwardian London. We're going to the opening of Selfridges."

"What?"

"You know, the shop?" I rolled my eyes at him and laughed. "There's a big opening party thing with all the important people invited. We'll fit right in, don't you think?"

"Really?" Tom glanced at me as we strolled along the street, looking every bit the young Edwardian couple. "And how, exactly, are we supposed to get into this opening party?"

"Psychic credit card." I reminded him with a wink. "Dad wanted to come, but Mum persuaded him against it. Just once I'd like to be able to go to somewhere like this without worrying about what trouble he's going to cause."

"He's not that bad."

"You sure about that?" I chuckled.

Tom laughed, conceding that the Doctor was pretty bad at causing trouble. "Not all the time, anyway!"

By the time we'd reached the shop I could tell that Tom was nervous. I smiled softly, finding it endearing that he always got like this when we went somewhere that was out of his comfort zone. A doorman stopped us as we reached the huge glass doors, informing us that it was an invitation only event.

"Oh, we have an invitation." I informed him, holding out the psychic credit card.

"Mr Thomas Parker and Miss Evie Song?" The man looked at me oddly. "Are you not attending with a chaperone?"

I snorted. "Do you see a chaperone anywhere?"

"Very well, Miss Song…" He held open the door and ushered us through as I tucked the card safely back into my clutch.

"I thought you wanted a quiet trip?" Tom whispered in my ear as we accepted a glass of champagne from a young man with a tray. "_That_ was drawing attention to us."

"I didn't say _I_ wasn't going to ruffle a few feathers around here." I replied with a wink. "Just think of the scandal of an unmarried woman attending an event alone with a young man. Whatever will they think?"

"Like you care." He shot back, pressing a kiss to my temple as I grinned up at him.

"Ah… Mrs…" A woman swept towards us, her eyes narrowing in curiosity as she evidently tried to work out who we were.

"Evie Song." I supplied, holding out my hand to shake hers. "Miss."

"Miss Song?" Her eyes widened as she looked between Tom and I. "And this is…?"

"Mr Thomas Parker."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintances." The woman replied politely, shaking Tom's hand, her soft American accent betraying her identity. "And you are…?"

"Oh, I'm Lord and Lady Harkness' niece. You must know the Harkness', surely, Mrs Selfridge? They own a great deal of land in Southern Wales. And you will of course have heard of my Grandfather, the eminent Wilfred Mott? He was very much a favourite of her Majesty, the late Queen Victoria."

"Of course, of course." She agreed readily, apparently not wanting to seem ignorant. "Have you met my husband?"

"No, we haven't had the privilege yet." Tom told her, saving me from having to swallow the mouthful of champagne I'd just taken.

"Allow me to introduce you." Mrs Selfridge offered with a smile.

Without waiting for an answer, we were swept towards a group of people in the far corner of the room. Tom kept his hand possessively on my waist as we walked and I chuckled at the expression on his face as I smirked at several young men as we approached Mr Selfridge.

"Stop flirting." He hissed in my ear.

"Jealous?" I cooed.

He raised an eyebrow. "More impressed at your ability to make crap up on the spot."

"You have met my parents, right?

"Good point." He agreed. "Ah, Mr Selfridge…"

"My wife tells me you're the niece of Lord and Lady Harkness?" The man asked, completely ignoring Tom and focusing on me. "And the Granddaughter of Mr Mott?"

"I am. My Aunt and Uncle would have loved to accept your invitation to the opening today, but unfortunately they were unable to leave the Estate."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Mr Selfridge assured me.

He proceeded to talk about his shop and his aims for what seemed a very long time. I was more interested in the clothes and accessories on display and, after a while, he seemed to notice where my attention was focused. With a smile he called an assistant forward.

"Miss Mardle, would you be as good as to show Miss Song around your department?" He requested, before turning back to me with a smile. "I would like you to choose something for yourself and perhaps something for your Aunt."

I smirked, this was turning out better than I'd expected. Tom rolled his eyes beside me as I smiled graciously and thanked the man for his generosity. The woman showed me various things and I settled on two scarfs as my gifts. Despite the offer, I felt a bit cheeky asking for anything more expensive for free.

With the packages tucked safely under Tom's arm, we decided it was time to leave. Or, rather, Tom decided it was time to leave before I said something that made them suspicious. With a wave that was definitely not fitting for the niece of a Lord, we made our way out of the shop. I paused on the threshold and pulled my boyfriend in for a passionate kiss, laughing at the scandalised gasps from behind us, before grabbing Tom by the hand and pulling him out of Selfridges and along the street.

"You're terrible!" He laughed as we broke into a run.

I winked at him, one hand holding onto his and the other clutching my over-sized hat to my head. "I wonder where I get it from?"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This was from a prompt from NaviRebel16 (AGES AGO – I'm so sorry!) who suggested that Evie and Tom should go on a date to 1909 after a conversation we had about the TV show Mr Selfridge. I never actually saw it, so I'm just making this up – with a little help from Wikipedia!**_


	206. He Used to be Really Wierd

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: He Used to be Really Wierd**

Age: 43

Location: Toxtor Phexas Baf, Templar Nersitos, Lexor Galaxy

Date: 19.431/0.1

* * *

><p>Wandering through the forests of Toxtor was difficult at the best of times, but with a four-year-old clamped to one hip and a laser blaster held tightly in the opposite hand it was almost impossible.<p>

"Can I have ice cream?" Jessica asked, tugging on a strand of my red hair that was threatening to escape from my ponytail.

"Honey, give me ten minutes to track down whatever's sending that signal and I promise you I'll take you for ice cream." I told her in a low voice, cursing my entire family for about the hundredth time for being too busy to watch my daughter. Surely it wouldn't have killed Jack to let her hang around the Hub for a couple of hours.

"But I want it now!"

"Jess, does it look as though there's an ice cream shop around here?" I snapped. "Now shush, please, I need to concentrate on–"

A rustle in the trees to my right caused me to stop immediately, whirling round and aiming the laser blaster into the foliage. There was another, louder, rustle, a snapping of twigs and low voices. Then, all of a sudden, the leaves parted and two figures emerged into the clearing.

They stopped abruptly as they spotted me. I knew exactly who they were but they, obviously, didn't have a clue who we were. With a small smile, I lowered the laser blaster and tilted my head to one side, waiting for them to speak first.

"Hello!" The man said, moving forward and holding out a hand, a broad smile over his face. "I'm the Doctor, this is Rose. Who are you?"

"Olivia Miller. This is my daughter, Ava." I lied smoothly, holstering the gun so that I could shake his hand. "I'm a Time Agent with babysitter issues." Jessica, knowing better than to question me in the presence of these strangers, just stared at the man and the blonde woman with her head tilted to one side. "What are you doing here?"

"My… space ship… has been detecting a signal from somewhere in this forest that really shouldn't be here. What about you?" The Doctor explained, reaching into his leather jacket and pulling out his sonic screwdriver.

"Snap." I replied, glancing at the readings on my Vortex Manipulator awkwardly. "It seems to be coming from…" Sighing, I held Jessica out in Rose's direction. "You don't mind, just for a minute?" Ignoring the uncomfortable expression on her face and not giving her a chance to reply, I turned back to the Doctor, moving to show him the display on my wrist. "It seems to be coming from about a mile in that direction, but a scan of the area showed that there's just forest for miles."

"Maybe Rose should take Ava back to my… ship, while we go and look for… whatever's out there?" The Doctor suggested, not looking at the blonde as he knew she wouldn't like that idea at all.

I looked her up and down slowly. "OK. But if anything happens to my daughter I will end you."

"Don't worry," the Doctor assured me, "Rose is great with kids."

"I am?" She questioned. "I mean, yeah, I am."

Bouncing Jessica on her hip slightly, the blonde attempted to smile. I raised an eyebrow, but leant forward to give my daughter a kiss on her head, warning her to be good and sending her a meaningful wink. She was smart for a four-year-old and I knew that she wouldn't say anything to give the game away. Jessica was used to pretending to be someone else; someone normal… someone who wasn't the granddaughter of a Time Lord.

"Lead the way." The Doctor suggested once Rose and Jessica had disappeared through the trees.

We trekked for a long time, until the whirring from the sonic screwdriver indicated that we were close to the source of the signal. I stopped, crouching down and examining the forest floor for footprints or other signs that someone or something had been there. Strange marks, almost like tyre tracks, caught my attention after a couple of moments' examination and I called the Doctor over cautiously.

"What d'you think?"

He backed up my theory about tyre tracks, but pointed out that they were too small to be a vehicle. "Whatever it was, it was heading that way."

I nodded and followed him even further through the trees. Finally we reached a small cave. Before I had time to question what a cave was doing in the middle of a forest, the Doctor held up a hand to stop me.

"What?"

"The signal's coming from in there." He said needlessly, causing me to roll my eyes. "But can you smell that?"

I frowned, wrinkling my nose. "No?"

"Sort of… marshmallows and… petrol."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Marshmallows and petrol?"

He grinned. "Exciting isn't it? Come on!"

Smirking slightly at his almost child-like enthusiasm, I followed him into the darkness. After a couple of moments he used the sonic screwdriver to illuminate the area and, after blinking a couple of times at the sudden brightness, I spotted a small huddled figure in a far corner. Further examination showed that it wasn't a huddled figure at all, but some kind of robot. The caterpillar tracks on the bottom explained the tracks we'd seen on the forest floor, but I still had no idea what it was.

"Doctor?" I whispered, hoping he could illuminate me.

"I think… I'm pretty sure… this is a tessala android."

"Tessala? Like… Teselecta?" I asked warily, eying the robot with concern.

He wrinkled his nose as though I had asked a particularly stupid question. "What's a Teselecta? This is an android from the planet Tessala. They're mainly responsible for simple manual tasks; housework, minor repairs, that sort of thing. Completely harmless."

"So what's with the signal, then?"

"I'd say it's a standard finder's signal. He's strayed out of his permitted parameters and he's sending out a signal to his owner to come and get him. Not that he will, because this signal isn't strong enough to reach Tessala."

"Poor little guy…" I said. "So what do we do? Decommission it?"

The Doctor looked outraged. "We'll do no such thing! I'll take him back to my ship and make some modifications and then he can roam around doing menial tasks to his heart's content."

"Great." I shrugged, returning the laser blaster to its holster now I knew that it wasn't required.

"Why is it that you people always think about decommissioning things before coming up with any other solutions?" He almost snapped, gathering up the android and walking towards daylight once more.

"Less of the 'you people', thanks." I muttered.

"Well… don't act like the rest of them, then." He retorted.

"You don't know anything about me."

"Tell me, then." He suggested, glancing at me curiously.

I smirked. "No."

The Doctor grinned even more broadly. "Well don't complain that I don't know anything about you, then."

I laughed and shook my head, following closely through the trees. It took a lot shorter time to find the TARDIS than it had done to track down the android. It was only when we were inside and I'd reclaimed my daughter from Rose than I realised what that meant.

"You were going the wrong way." I said slowly, turning to face the Doctor. "When you bumped into me in the forest you were walking _away_ from the cave."

"No we weren't." He argued.

"You so were! You were heading in completely the wrong direction."

He frowned and ushered me towards the door. "Well, nice to meet you, Olivia Miller. And you, Ava. Have a safe trip home."

I grinned as the doors closed behind us and, a moment or two later the familiar dematerialising noises met our eyes. Looking down at Jessica I smiled.

"Pops used to be really weird." She said with a sigh and in a long-suffering tone that was highly amusing coming out of the mouth of a four-year-old. "And Rose had no idea what to do with me. The TARDIS knew who I was, though."

"Of course she did, Sweetie. The TARDIS always knows."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: This chapter is from another prompt (ages ago again, I'm really sorry!) from daisiella13, who said that they would love to see an older Evie with Jess bumping into a younger Doctor. :)**_


	207. Fancy Meeting You Here

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Fancy Meeting You Here**

Age: 53

Location: Gallipraxus Egra, Pontarfus Nexus

Date: 37140 AD

* * *

><p>"I know Grandma's set on me going to the Luna University, but I just don't want to." Jessica was moaning as we wandered through the Egrad Statues in the grounds of the Temple of Egra.<p>

"Look, if you're really against it then just tell her that you don't want to go. Mum adores you. If you don't want to go there, she won't make you."

"Can't you tell her?"

"No way!" I replied, arching an eyebrow. "I had to tell her you wanted to go and meet Shakespeare when you were writing that essay on Romeo and Juliet, remember? It was also down to me to stop her and Dad demanding they came with us to make sure you didn't end up being sold into slavery or something. You do remember that lecture I got on what Will was like with Martha, right?"

"I get that, but can't you just–"

"Nope!" I chuckled. "You've got her wrapped around your little finger; her and Dad. You know they give in to you as soon as you ask for something."

"But can't you–"

"No!"

Jessica pouted at me as I point-blank turned down her request. With a grin, I linked our hands and rested my head on top of hers. For a couple of moments she refused to relax, until I nudged her a couple of times in the ribs and a small smirk found its way onto her face.

"Get lost!" She giggled, trying to push me away.

"Not until you stop sulking."

"I'm not sulking!" Shrugging, I looked away and we continued to walk through the gardens. "Why are we even here?"

"Dad's in there somewhere with his latest companion and Amy sent me to find out about her."

"Really? Is she jealous or worried for Grandma or what?" Jess asked, tilting her head as she watched me carefully.

"This is Amy we're talking about, sweetie, she just wants the gossip!"

My daughter arched an eyebrow at me. "So… are you just expecting Pops to believe this is a coincidence if he sees us here?"

"Not even he would buy that." I reminded her with a smirk. "Nah, I'll just say I'm working."

"Torchwood is interested in the Egradian Botanical Gardens?"

I laughed, shaking my head vehemently. "No, sweetie, but UNIT might be. They haven't actually sent me to gather intelligence on anything for a while, but I am still on their books. Your Grandfather knows that, so he won't question that story."

Jessica nodded and we continued walking through the gardens. Finally we spotted the familiar blue box standing between a pair of leafy Rimonion trees, although the Doctor and his new companion were nowhere to be seen. We approached it quickly and I laid a hand on the doors in greeting, before they swung inwards of their own volition and allowed us entrance.

"Hey, old girl!" My daughter cried enthusiastically, making her way to the console and running her fingers lightly over the controls. "Where's Pops, eh?"

"Don't touch anything." I warned, smiling at her as she rounded the central column quickly. Even after spending the vast majority of her fourteen years inside the Police Box, Jessica showed the same over-excited enthusiasm that the ship seemed to inspire in everyone. "Dad would kill me if we took a trip in his precious TARDIS and left him behind."

"Indeed I would." A familiar, warm voice agreed from behind me.

I turned quickly, beaming at the Doctor who was standing in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest and regarding us with fond amusement. Before I could even take a single step towards him Jessica rushed past me and launched herself into his arms. Rolling my eyes at her behaviour, I could barely refrain from doing exactly the same.

"Pops!" She squealed as he wrapped her tightly in her arms and spun them both around on the spot.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" Dad asked, putting Jessica back down and turning to look at me, one arm still wrapped around her shoulders.

"I've had orders from UNIT to be here, but then we spotted the TARDIS and thought we'd drop in and say hi." I informed him casually, trying to peer through the still open doorway for any sign of his new companion. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, you know; this and that. Touring the sights." He replied with a nonchalant shrug.

"On your own?" Jessica asked and I groaned, knowing that he'd see through her words instantly.

As if on cue, he narrowed his eyes looking between us quickly. His arm dropped from around Jessica's shoulders and he stepped backwards, raising an arm and pointing to each of us in turn. With his mouth opening and closing rapidly as he worked out the real reason for our visit, I folded my arms and waited impatiently for him to speak.

"Who put you up to this? River? Or was it Amy?" He frowned. "I bet it was Amy. It was Amy, wasn't it?"

"Yes, it was Gran." I agreed, rolling my eyes. "She wanted to know who you'd replaced her with."

"I haven't replaced her with anyone." Dad replied, almost whining at the accusation. "But it gets lonely in here on my own, you know?"

"Why can't me and Mum travel with you, then?" Jessica asked, pouting.

"Mum and I." I corrected with a smile. "And we can't because you have to go to school and I have to work." Both Dad and Jessica rolled their eyes and pulled disapproving faces at that. I could almost hear them both thinking that I was no fun and smiled fondly. "So? Where is she then? You haven't lost her already, have you?"

"Of course I ha–" He stopped, looking wildly around, suddenly realising that it was only the three of us in the control room. "One moment…"

Jess giggled and walked over to stand with me at slightly out of sight behind the central column as the Doctor vanished outside through the doors. We didn't have long to wait before they crashed open once more and two figures burst through, slamming the doors behind them. Dad leapt towards the console, bashing the controls in a way that was hardly respectful to the TARDIS and sending us whirling through the Vortex.

"Doctor?" The pretty brunette who had followed him into the centre of the room looked wary and confused and I didn't think she'd even spotted us yet. "What was that?"

"That, Clara, was the beginning of the Pesyan Ritual. I wouldn't advise hanging around to watch."

I shuddered. "No, definitely not; well, not unless headless corpses being paraded around is your thing, anyway."

The girl jumped at the sound of my voice and whirled around to look at me. She seemed taken aback at the sight of Jessica and I casually leaning against the railings around the platform and watching her with mild amusement. Her eyes narrowed, as though she expected our presence to be some kind of trick. When the Doctor didn't even glance up from the controls or attempt to explain who we were, she tilted her head and regarded us questioningly.

"Evie Song." I said, taking pity on her and shaking my head at Dad's lack of manners. "This is my daughter, Jessica."

"Clara Oswald…" Clara replied, apparently unsure whether she should be telling us that or not. "Doctor…?"

"Don't worry about him; he's an idiot." Jess told her with a shrug, wrinkling her nose in Dad's direction.

"Hey!"

I chuckled at his indignant tone. "She's got a point. You could at least have made the introductions. You used to be a proper gentleman… what's happened to you?" I teased him.

"I'll have you know that I am a total gentleman, aren't I, Clara?"

"Yes…"

I laughed even more as she didn't sound totally convinced by her own answer. "So, are you going to tell her or shall we?"

Letting out a short, sharp breath, Dad glared at me. Then, in a fast jumble of words, he told Clara who we were. "ThisismydaughterEvieandmygranddaughterJessica."

"Sorry?"

"Evie is my daughter." He told her, blushing slightly as I fixed him with an unimpressed look that I hoped was as effective as the ones Mum often shot him. "Jess is my granddaughter."

"Oh…" Clara blinked between us, apparently totally thrown. "He never said…"

Jess smirked and folded her arms. "Of course he didn't. I bet he never mentioned Grandma either?"

"Gran… wait…"

I grinned at Dad, thoroughly enjoying myself. He scowled back, evidently feeling totally under pressure. "My Mum; Dad's wife."

"How is River?" Dad asked, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Currently she's on an expedition to KanKara Frexas." I told him, knowing that he was genuinely interested in what was happening with Mum, despite his tone. "The Luna University employed her to investigate the Rae Caves."

"They want the Rae Scrolls." Dad said bluntly.

I nodded. "Probably. Mum won't hand them over that easily, though. She'll make them work for them."

Dad chuckled. "I wouldn't expect anything less."

"Umm… I don't mean to break up this reunion–"

"It's not a reunion." I informed her quickly, unintentionally sounding as though I was warning her off. "For a man who can travel anywhere in time and space he's remarkable easy to track down whenever we want to see him."

"Your Vortex Manipulator being connected to the TARDIS doesn't hurt." He groused, still not completely happy that his ship had, apparently, betrayed him by allowing my wrist teleporter to connect to it permanently.

"Speaking of the Vortex Manipulator, we'd better get going." I said with a smile, satisfied that we had something to tell Gran about Dad's newest companion. "Jess has maths homework to finish."

"Muuuummmm!" She complained loudly beside me.

"Can I tell Aunty Donna that you'll come to Nan's birthday party? I mean, she's gonna be 78 and she keeps going on about not being here forever…"

Exasperatedly wafting his hands in my direction, although he wasn't fooling anyone, Dad pretended to be irritated at being required at something as mundane as a family birthday party. "Yes, yes, I suppose. I'd never hear the end of it, otherwise."

"Oh, Clara, you're invited too." I said with a broad grin. "Don't worry; their bark is worse than their bite."

With that, leaving the girl staring at me with an expression somewhere between bewilderment and horror, I grabbed Jessica's hand and sent us whirling through the Vortex towards home.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: OH MY GOD WHAT IS THIS A NEW CHAPTER?!**_

_**I apologise so, so much for the massively long delay in this being updated. I've just seen that I haven't posted a new chapter for almost six months. That's just unacceptable. **_

_**My only defence is that I have been really busy and I kinda lost interest in the second half of the last series. I just really didn't enjoy most of the episodes, to the point that I know that I missed a couple of them and didn't even bother to sky+ them... I KNOW. **_

_**But that meant that I didn't really have much inspiration to write anything new, although I really have missed doing so. Hopefully I'll be able to get back into it… fingers crossed!**_

_**Anyway, this chapter was written from two prompts: **_**harrypotterfan96**_** said, 'it would be awesome if Evie met Clara. That would be an interesting chapter' and **_**The Final Shadow**_** suggested, 'Evie could be a friend of modern day Clara through Jessica or something'.**_

_**I really hope you enjoy this chapter!**_

_**Bex x**_


	208. Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore**

Age: 59

Location: Chiswick, London, England, Earth/Trenzalore

Date: December 2031

* * *

><p>There isn't much about Christmas that I dislike. I love the decorations and the food and the festive spirit. I even love the Christmas television and traditions and bickering that seems inevitable when the whole family gets together in one place for a whole week.<p>

Rules had been established a long time ago to ensure that there was never more than one of any of us present at any particular Christmas celebration. It was set in stone which year's celebrations we were allowed to attend. It was just as important as keeping spoilers to ourselves. Everyone was very strict about it and, although I had no intention of breaking them and causing a paradox, I dreading to think what would happen if I was the one who broke any of the carefully laid out rules. Nan would probably have my guts for garters.

So, when I turned up on Nan's doorstep on Christmas Eve I knew exactly which Christmas I was going to be attending. A little last minute shopping meant that Mum, Jess and I had decided to arrive separately and so I found myself struggling to lug the bin liner full of my Christmas presents up the Nobles' drive on my own, my holdall slung over my shoulder.

It only took one ring of the doorbell for the door to be flung open to reveal Jack, sporting a particularly garish Christmas jumper and a pair of reindeer antlers on his head. As soon as he realised it was me on the other side, he broke into a rousing chorus of 'We Wish You A Merry Christmas' and whipped a spring of mistletoe out from behind his back.

"Get lost, Uncle Jack!" I laughed, pushing him away and moving into the house. "Merry Christmas."

"Glad tidings to you and your kin." He responded with a mock bow, before chuckling and picking up the bin liner containing my gifts. "Speaking of your kin, Donna, Jenny and Sylv are in the kitchen with your Mom and Amy. Wilf's been asking whether you've arrived yet for the past hour."

"Sylv?" I laughed. "Nan lets you call her that?" From the expression on his face I knew the answer to the question and laughed even more. "You better not let her hear you, then!"

He grinned. "Wilf and Rory are in the front room with the kids. Go on in."

As always, the house was decorated to something beyond what anyone would expect. It was like a decoration factory had exploded. Donna and Wilf loved Christmas and even Sylvia got into the spirit of the season without many complaints. The front room resembled Santa's grotto. A real tree stood in the corner behind the double doors that led into the dining room, adorned with red and gold tinsel and baubles. Hidden amongst the shop bought decorations, I spotted several homemade ones which, although she'd be quick to deny it if questioned, proved that Nan was far more sentimental that she would ever let on. Christmas cards were strung along the walls on lengths of string and tinsel edged all the pictures on the walls and the edge of the mantelpiece.

Pausing in the doorway, I leant against the frame and watched the scene in front of me for a while. Grandad Wilf and Grampa Rory were sitting side by-side on the sofa, with the older of the two chattering on about something or other while the younger man nodded distractedly, one eye firmly fixed on the film the children were watching on the television. Zoe and Jess sat on the far side of the room talking quietly, glancing surreptitiously at their family members as though they were gossiping about them.

"Hey, sorry I'm late, guys."

"Evie!"

"You took your time, Mother."

"Get over here where I can see you, girl."

Chuckling, I crossed the room and knelt on the carpet in front of Wilf. He shuffled forward slightly on the sofa and reached out to place both his hands on my face. I smiled, raising one of my hands to cover one of his. Granddad Wilf was my constant reminder that nothing was permanent and all things had to end. One day, probably soon considering he was already 104 years old, there would be no more Wilfred Mott and that would be a sad day for the world.

"You look tired, love."

"I'm OK, Gramps. Shopping is crazy on Christmas Eve."

"Don't come that with me, Evie Song. You've been working too hard. Tell that Eunice to lay off for a while."

"Eunice?" I asked, glancing at Rory to see if he had any idea what Wilf was on about.

"That Eunice you work for."

"Oh!" I laughed, shaking my head. "You meant UNIT." With a grin, I squeezed his hand. "No, it's not that. It's fine."

"And I thought you worked for my grandson-in-law, anyway. Didn't you used to work for Torchwood?"

"I still do, Gramps. I work as an advisor for UNIT and I do freelance stuff for Torchwood."

He tutted, shaking his head. "You're spreading yourself too thin, my girl. What do your parents have to say about all this?"

"I'm 59, Gramps." I reminded him with a sigh. "I don't need their permission. Besides, I'm good at what I do. I save the world, remember?"

He was clearly about to argue when there was a commotion in the hallway and I heard Mum and Gran and Donna's voices clearly. It would have been the same argument we'd been having for years, so I wasn't keen to repeat it. Instead I kissed him on the cheek and straightened up to greet the others as they entered the room.

After more hugging and kissing and festive sentiment, Mum suggested that I help her sort things out upstairs. Guessing that she wanted to get me on my own for some reason, I agreed without question and followed her up two flights of thickly carpeted stairs and into the first of the spare bedrooms on the second floor.

When the family had grown beyond a number that could stay in one house comfortably, Dad had made some adjustments using Time Lord technology. Now, instead of being a simple four bedroom, two storey house like every other one on their street, the Nobles' house could comfortably sleep nearly 30 people in sixteen bedrooms spread over the top four floors of the house. That didn't include the room on the ground floor that had been adapted into a bedroom for Wilf. From the outside, the house looked nothing like the five storey house that it was. It truly was bigger on the inside, just like the TARDIS.

"How was Sephladon?" I asked as we entered the room. Mum's things were strewn around and I guessed that this was the room that had been set aside for her and Dad to stay in. "Did you find whatever it was you were looking for?"

"The scrolls of Ol? Yes, I did." She relied with a stiff nod. Then she sighed and sat heavily on the double mattress, patting the space beside her and indicating that I should sit down. "Your father isn't coming."

"Why? What's he done now?"

"He's stranded somewhere in a town called Christmas." Seeing I was about to start asking questions, Mum held up a hand to stop me. "He sent Clara away in the TARDIS but, when she refused to let it leave without her, the old girl locked onto the signal of my Vortex Manipulator and came to me. Clara explained what had happened and... he's gone to Trenzalore, Evie."

"What?" I gasped, knowing of the legend that surrounded Dad and Trenzalore. "Why is he there? Has he forgotten–"

Mum scoffed. "Of course he hasn't forgotten. The stubborn old fool is simply ignoring the facts. He's giving up, Evie."

"Then we need to remind him that he's got far too much in his life to give up on."

"I was hoping you'd say that, sweetie." Mum admitted with a grin. "Fancy an adventure?"

I laughed, reaching out for her hand as she fiddled with her Vortex Manipulator. "As long as we're back in time for Christmas Dinner."

"Of course. I wouldn't miss Sylvia's roast potatoes for anything, even your father."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: MERRY CHRISTMAS!**_

_**Have a festive multi-part chapter from me! **_

_**x**_


	209. Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore 2

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore**

We materialised on board the Papal Mainframe. I had only been here once before, brought by the Doctor as a small child, more than fifty years earlier. Mum, however, seemed to have visited much more recently and she strode along the dark, metal walkways with their blinking lights, past clerics and Silents and women dressed in black as though she owned the place. That's something I've always admired about Mum; she always seems completely in control, whether she is or not.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we rounded a corner and found ourselves at the start of yet another long stretch of the metal walkway, bathed in darkness. "Why are the Silence here? Is it safe?"

"Perfectly safe, sweetie." She assured me, not looking back as she spoke. "This section of the Church is called the Church of the Silence. It's dedicated to making sure that the First Question will not be answered."

"The First Question; the oldest question in the universe… hidden in plain sight." I quoted, the words embedded in my memory. "Silence will fall when the Question is asked."

"Precisely. Well, a more accurate translation would be 'Silence must fall', but let's not get pedantic." Mum said with a grin as I rolled my eyes. "Do you remember what Dorium said the Silence believed?"

Pulling a face I wracked my brains. Mum had told me long ago what her long time contact had told her about a prophecy the Silence had informed him of concerning the Doctor. "Something about silence falling when the Question was asked?"

Mum rolled her eyes. "On the Fields of Trenzalore, at the fall of the Eleventh, when no living creature can speak falsely or fail to answer, a question will be asked; a question that must never ever be answered: 'Doctor who?' She quoted perfectly. "Now what, Evie, do you suppose that means?"

"It means that... someone's going to ask who the Doctor really is and for some reason he won't be able to lie and he'll have to tell the truth, for once in his life."

"And..."

"And... and the fall of the Eleventh means... he's going to regenerate. But he can't. This is his last regeneration. He can't do it again. So... he's going to die?"

Stopping abruptly, Mum turned and fixed me with a hard look. "You and I both know that isn't true."

"We saw his grave."

Mum glared at me. "We both know that he does regenerate. We've both seen his next face. The question is; how does he do it?"

"Maybe he steals regeneration energy from... someone." I suggested.

"Well it won't be you, Evie." Mum told me firmly. "You can't afford to give up any more of your regenerations."

"Neither can you." I pointed out with a scowl. "So where does he get it from?" We looked at each other for a moment, thinking hard. There was only one other person we knew of who had regeneration energy that she could spare to save Dad. "Jenny."

In the blink of an eye Mum had vanished. She returned seconds later with my sister's hand clutched tightly in her own. Jenny beamed at me, before pulling me into a hug.

"Let's go and save our dad." She said determinedly. "River's explained everything. We don't have time to waste."

With nothing more to be said on the matter, we contained along the walkways until we reached a set of huge double doors. Without waiting to be admitted, Mum threw them open and marched into the room. She stalked down the apparently floating, deep crimson carpet though the middle of two rows of assembled members of the church until she reached the other end of the room.

A woman stood on the top of a short flight of steps, flanked by clerics in their camouflage uniforms and watching our approach with something akin to amusement. When Mum stopped in front of her, she put her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow.

"I venerate the exaltation of the Mother Superious." Mum announced with a bow of her head. As she raised her gaze slowly to the woman in front of her, there was a smirk firmly in place on her lips.

"Welcome to the Church of the Papal Mainframe. Your lack of nudity is not appreciated."

"We've been through this before." Mum told the beefy looking cleric who had spoken, with a wink. "I don't take my clothes off for just anyone."

"River Song."

"Tasha Lem."

"It's Mother Superious to you." The woman at the top of the steps reminded her with a smirk that mirrored Mum's.

"That's not what you said the last time I was here."

"Yes, well, that was under different... circumstances."

Jenny and I exchanged a curious and slightly embarrassed look at the distinctly flirtatious tone the conversation had taken.

"How do you know it's different circumstances?"

"You don't usually bring an entourage, babes."

Mum chuckled. "Good point."

"We'll go to my Chapel." Tasha told her guards. "All honours in place, no sacrifices required."

This seemed to be enough to cause the clerics and nuns and Silents to disperse and allow the four of us to make our way through more of the dimly lit, carpeted walkways until we reached another set of double doors. They swung open as the Mother Superious approached and she stopped, turning to sweep her gaze over Jenny and me, before returning it to Mum once more.

"We have matters to discuss, River." She announced meaningfully. "Private matters and matters concerning the Doctor."

"Those matters are nothing that Evie and Jenny cannot hear." Mum told her firmly. "The Doctor's daughters should be a part of this discussion."

Tasha fixed us with an intrigued look, a somewhat predatory smile covering her lips. "His daughters? Well, I suppose it would be rude to neglect to show them how hospitable I can be."

"There'll be none of that, thank you." Mum said, raising her eyebrows.

With a shrug, Tasha led us into her Chapel. The altar, which looked suspiciously like a very decadent double bed, stood in the centre of the room. A sideboard with a couple of decanters stood on one side of the room and at the back, behind the bed altar was a curtained cubical. I looked at it curiously, but then my attention was drawn back to the Mother Superious as she pushed a goblet of some light blue liquid into my hand.

"So, you're here to save the Doctor?" She asked, already knowing the answer.

Mum nodded, setting her goblet down before ridding Jenny and me of ours before we could take a drink. She set them down on the sideboard and turned to face the woman.

"What is the Question?"

"What question?" Tasha asked, playing innocent.

"You know perfectly well what question I'm talking about, Tash." Mum retorted with a snort. "The Question being beamed across the galaxy. The Question that brought everyone here. The Question that caused you to place a shield around that planet, send my husband down there and spend your time maintaining a truce between all the life forms that would love nothing more than to get their hands on him."

There was a pause and then Tasha sighed. "Fair point. I know what question you're talking about." She moved across the room, her skirts sweeping the floor behind her and took a seat on the bed altar. "When the Doctor came here, some three hundred years ago, he and his associate, Clara Oswald, went down to the planet to see whether they could decipher the meaning of the signal. They were successful. The signal was a question. The Question. Doctor who?"

"And?"

"The town is encased in a truth field. The Doctor would have been unable to answer the Question dishonestly and, as such, he chose not to answer at all. He stayed to protect the town and its people from those life forms who would murder and destroy. It was his choice, River."

Jenny tilted her head curiously. "Why would answering the Question truthfully have been a bad thing?"

"It would have allowed the creatures on the other side, those waiting for an answer as the signal that it was safe, to cross through into this universe. The fighting and bloodshed would have been unavoidable and devastating. I will not allow that to happen."

"Who was it? Who sent the signal?" I demanded, leaning forward and locking eyes with the woman almost desperately.

"Gallifrey. The Time Lords."

There was silence as we all processed the information. The Time Lords were trying to return. Doing so would reignite the Time War in this universe. It would bring death and chaos and untellable grief.

But it would also bring Dad's people.

"The Doctor was right." Mum said at last. "Answering the Question and bringing the Time Lords through isn't an option." She stood, raising her chin determinedly. "But neither is leaving him there alone to stew in his own thoughts."

Tasha regarded her curiously. "What are you proposing?"

"You send us down there, we speak to him and come up with a solution that works for everyone."

"You really think that's possible?"

I nodded. "Of course it is. Leave it to us."

Nodding slowly, the woman moved to the curtained cubical at the back of the room and drew the crimson drapes aside almost reverently. "My personal teleportation device. This will set you down on the outskirts of the town."

"Thank you." Mum told her softly. "What do you want in return?"

Tasha smirked. "We'll discuss that when you come back, babes."

With a chuckle, Mum led the way into the cubical with Jenny and I following. There were a few tapping sounds from the console, a loud beep and then, in a flash of bright light, I felt the familiar tug of spacial-temporal displacement in my stomach and my feet touched down on something soft and crunchy.

"I am so not dressed for snow." I muttered, shivering in the thin zip-up jacket I had been wearing in the Nobles' house. It was definitely inappropriate for being outdoors in the middle of what seemed to be a particularly hard winter.

"Let's just find your father and then we can get out of here." Mum said, already beginning to walk towards the twinkling lights in the distance that seemed to indicate the settlement we were heading for.

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: Happy New Year! I hope you all have a FANTASTIC 2014!**_

_**These chapters were actually harder to write than I imagined! I hope you like them, anyway! :)**_


	210. Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore**

The town was quaint and oddly reminiscent of Earth in the late 1800's, apart from the twinkling electric Christmas lights that were strung along the buildings and decorated the many trees that stood around on the street corners.

We had only taken a handful of steps into the town, when an alarm was raised and people appeared from all over to look at us. They seemed to be waiting for something, but it was unclear what they were expecting to happen.

The mystery was solved when a door opened and a figure emerged, closely followed by a second, smaller one. The Doctor made his way across the snowy ground to stand in front of us, aided by a walking stick. It was obvious that he had aged from the grey flecks in his unruly hair and the way he seemed to stoop slightly. As he came closer, wrinkles were plain on his face.

"River Song." He announced, sounding mildly annoyed. "Can you never stay out of things that don't concern you?"

"I'd say that this definitely concerns me, sweetie." Mum replied calmly, folding her arms. "When a young woman comes and tells me that my husband has given up hope and is preparing to die without putting up a fight, I'd say that is my business."

Dad turned to glare at Clara, who shrugged. "Hey, I thought she could help! It wasn't even my fault; the TARDIS took me to her."

"Anyway," Jenny chipped in, "Nan is expecting you for Christmas Dinner and I refuse to be the one who tells them all you're not coming." She put on her best pout and puppy dog eyes. "Besides this might be Gramps last Christmas. He'd be heartbroken if you weren't there."

The conversation was cut short by the appearance of the face of the Mother Superious high in the sky over the town. Thunder rumbled, accompanying her voice as she commanded the Doctor's attention.

"_Doctor!_"

"_Ah..._" He pulled a face, before turning and looking up at the giant image in the sky. "_Look who's woken up!_"

"_The Church of the Silence requests parlay. Your rights and safety are sanctified._"

"_I'll be right up._" Dad agreed.

"_I'm sending a transporter._" Tasha offered, but Dad shook his head and motioned towards the TARDIS.

"_Nah, don't bother. I've got me motor back._" The face vanished and Dad turned to look at us. Then he sighed and motioned towards the police box. "You heard her, we'd better go."

Mum led the way into the TARDIS, followed by Jenny, me, Clara and then, a few minutes later, Dad entered, closing the doors firmly behind him. He didn't speak to any of us as he moved about the console and sent the ship into the Vortex.

When we landed in the Papal Mainframe, he led the way out and along the carpeted walkway to where Tasha was waiting at the end. As it had been earlier, our path was lined by clerics and nuns and Silents. Jenny, Mum and I barely registered their presence, but the sinister creatures seemed to unsettle Clara greatly.

"_She hasn't aged much._" The young woman pointed out, motioning towards Tasha as we headed closer.

"_No, she's against ageing._" Dad replied, his tone indicating that he didn't approve.

"You, on the other hand, have definitely aged." Mum told him. "You could have at least made a little effort, sweetie."

He simply shook his head and muttered 'women' under his breath.

"Approach." Tasha ordered.

Continuing along the walkway, Clara's attention returned to the Silents once more. "_What are those things?_" She asked nervously, turning her head as she passed one.

"_Confessional priests._" Dad informed her simply. "_Very popular. Genetically engineered so you forget everything you told them._"

"_Told who?_"

I chuckled and shook my head at her question. Dad caught my eye and smiled. "_There you go._"

The four of us stayed back as Dad approached the Mother Superious and spoke rapidly for a few moments. Then the priestess nodded and indicated that we should all follow. This time we were taken to a different room. A long wooden table stood in the centre of the room. Tasha took the seat at the head of the table and Dad took the chair opposite at the foot. Mum settled herself on one side of him, with Jenny opposite and I sat next to my sister. Hesitantly, Clara sat in the seat between Mum and Tasha, looking nervously around her.

Without speaking, Tasha set a heavy looking wooden chest on the table and Dad opened the lid, looking inside greedily. "_Satisfactory?_"

"_Where are all the pink ones?_" He asked, disgruntled, after a couple of seconds.

"_E numbers._" The woman replied simply, making her way back to her seat. "_You're hyper enough as it is._"

"_So, this is sweet. Middle of a siege and you two have little chats?_" Clara said, looking between them. Mum chuckled and leant back in her chair, while Jenny and I grinned at each other, well aware of how Dad worked.

Tasha nodded. "_She's right. This situation cannot continue._"

"_It can't end, either._"

"_Why did you ever come to Trenzalore?_"

"_Well I did come to Trenzalore and nothing can change that now. Didn't stop you trying though, did it?_" Dad asked accusingly, pointing his stick at the woman opposite him.

"_Not me. The Kovarian Chapter broke away._" Tasha said and, on the opposite side of the table, Mum visible stiffened and sat up straighter in her chair. Her hands balled into fists on the surface and she clenched her jaw. "_They travelled back along your timeline and tried to prevent you ever reaching Trenzalore._"

"_So that's who blew up my TARDIS... I thought I'd left the bath running._"

"_They blew up your time capsule, created the very cracks in the universe through which the Time Lords are now calling._"

"_The destiny trap; you can't change history if you're part of it._" The Doctor said sarcastically.

"_They engineered a psychopath to kill you._" She glanced at Mum. "Sorry, babes, no offence."

"None taken."

Dad smirked, obviously proud of himself. "_Totally married her._" He looked sideways and met mum's eyes. "_I'd never have made it here alive without River Song._"

"Don't get sentimental, sweetie." Mum ordered. "There are more important things to do."

Tasha ignored the moment between them and continued seriously. "_I'm not interested in changing history, Doctor. I want to change the future._" She leant forward in her seat, her eyes moving between all of us. "_The Daleks send for reinforcements daily; they are massing for war. Three days ago they attacked the mainframe itself._"

"_They attacked here?_"

I shifted nervously in my seat, wondering how far away the creatures were at that exact moment. "What happened?"

"_How did you stop them?_" Clara added.

The Mother Superious' head turned slowly to survey the young woman beside her. "_Stop them? It was slaughter._"

An icy chill moved down my spine as something seemed to click in my mind. There was something wrong with that statement. I just couldn't work out what it was that made me so anxious. Beside me, I could feel the tension rolling off Jenny in waves as well. As though we both had an extra sense about these things, both of us knew that there was something very wrong here. Tasha had not mentioned anything about a Dalek attack when we'd spoken to her earlier.

"_Why didn't you call me, I could have helped._" Dad asked slowly, as though he, too, could feel something was off.

"_I tried!_" Tasha told him seriously. "_I died in this room screaming your name._"

Time slowed. My stomach leapt into my mouth and, horrified, I pushed my chair back and scrambled out of it, getting away from the woman. Jenny looked equally terrified, both of us rounding the table and moving to stand behind Dad. Mum's eyes were locked on the Mother Superious, as though she was struggling to process what she had just heard.

"Tash..." She whispered, her voice escaping in a low rasp.

"_No..._" Dad gasped.

Tasha looked mildly confused for a moment. "_Oh... I died._" Clara moved slowly, as though backing away from a wild animal, taking her place beside Jenny and I behind Dad. "_It's funny the things that slip your mind._"

My horror increased as she slumped forward and a sickening crunching sound filled the room; her body jerked and spasmed awkwardly, the sounds never stopping for a moment.

"_No! No, no, no! Tasha, no, please, not Tasha, no! Fight it!_" Dad ordered, leaping out of his seat and towards the slumped form of the woman. "_Fight it!_"

Suddenly Tasha straightened. With a final crunching sound, a Dalek eyestalk protruded from the centre of her forehead, glowing bright blue in the dimly lit room.

"Oh, god, Tash!" Mum murmured, standing beside the Doctor. She made to reach out a hand to the woman, but Dad stopped her, shaking his head sharply. "Tash..."

We had no time to think, no time to discuss what to do, before the double doors opened with no warning and two Daleks entered, their own eyestalks fixed on us.

"_Step away from the Dalek unit, Doctor._" The first ordered in its spine-chilling, mechanical voice.

"_You shouldn't even know who I am._" Dad told them irritably.

"_Information concerning the Doctor was harvested from the cadaver of Tasha Lem._"

Mum's eyes blazed and she opened her mouth to retort angrily, but again the Doctor stopped her. His gaze was focused on Tasha, who had risen from her chair and was moving towards us.

"_Bet she never told you how to break the Trenzalore force field, though._" Dad snapped. "_She'd have died first._"

"_Several times._" The Dalek agreed, causing Mum's fists to clench furiously at her sides.

"_Well, you'd better kill me then._" The Doctor told it angrily, reaching into his jacket. "_But, before you do..._" He pulled out his sonic a screwdriver and aimed it behind him, narrowly avoiding hitting Jenny with the beam.

A booming, gravelly male voice reverberating through the room, filling my head with the words he chanted. There was something more to the voice than just a vocal pattern. There was a resonance, a pattern, a signal.

"_Doctor who? Doctor who? Doctor who?_"

"_I'm a tough old bird... I'll be ages dying... way enough time to answer a question. And oh dear, what happens then, boys?_"

"_You will die in silence, Doctor._" The Dalek ordered, not answering the question. "_Or your associate will die._"

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: So, updating got a bit crazy over Christmas/New Year, but hopefully I'll be able to stick to the once-a-week-updates now I'm back at work! I'll probably try and update this every Monday from now on. Probably ;)**_

_**:D**_


	211. Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore**

We all turned so fast I was sure we'd all be suffering from bad necks. Tasha had moved behind Clara without us noticing and seemed to have her in some kind of hold that she could not escape from. Fear flashed in her eyes but she refused to cry out or plead for the Doctor to do something or for Tasha to let her go.

"_Fine, go on, kill her._" Dad said calmly, pretending not to care whether or not his companion lived or died. His eyes gave him away, however, although I wasn't sure whether the Daleks would be able to pick up on that or not. "_Kill her! See if I care! But tell me, what are you going to do next?_"

"_See how the Time Lord betrays._"

"_You'll kill me anyway._" Clara choked out. "_What difference does it make? I'm not afraid... I'll leave that to you._"

The Doctor turned to the Mother Superious. "_See, Tasha, that's what I'm talking about. That is a woman!_" He moved towards her, anger growing in him by the second. "_I always knew you were spineless... you and your pointless church._"

"What the hell is he doing?" I hissed in Mum's ear, noticing the smirk on her face. "Surely pissing her off while she's in Dalek mode is a really stupid idea?"

Mum shook her head. "He's getting through to the real Tasha. He's pissing her off enough so that she'll fight through the Dalek part and come back. Tasha could never resist a good fight."

"_Why did I ever rely on you? Never trust a nun to do a Doctor's work._" He spat out.

Apparently breaking through to the real woman inside, Dad stumbled backwards as Tasha pushed Clara roughly away from her and slapped him around the face with a resounding crack. Turning her open palm on the surrounding Daleks, she shot laser beams at them, causing them to burst into flames.

Mum laughed, moving to steady Clara and check there was no lasting damage from whatever the Dalek Tasha had done to subdue her. She didn't even bat an eyelid as Dad stepped forward and grasped the woman by her arms, pulling her closer to him.

"_And she's back!_" He exclaimed, planting a particularly passionate kiss on her lips.

I chanced a glance in Mum's direction but, other than a cursory glance towards them, she barely seemed to acknowledge the action at all. Clara, on the other hand, was staring at them open-mouthed.

"_You never could resist a row._" Dad teased, pulling back to reveal a nasty looking black blemish on Tasha's forehead where the eyestalk had once protruded.

"_Kiss me when I ask._" Tasha chided him, pointing an accusing finger at him.

He smirked. "_Well you'd better ask nicely._"

"_In your dreams!_"

"Well said, sweetie. I never do either." Mum said as she passed, patting Dad on the cheek before turning her attention to the woman in front of him. "How are you feeling?"

"I've felt better, babes."

"I'm sure you have."

Without any warning, Mum moved forward, gripped Tasha's face and placed a hard kiss on her lips. Beside me, Clara let out a startled squawk and Jenny emitted a snort of laughter.

"My parents, ladies and gentlemen," I muttered, completely unsurprised by the entire thing, "over-sexed and dangerous."

Dad blushed a deep crimson nudged cleared his throat loudly. "Right, well, _get us back to the TARDIS. Can you do that?_"

"_Yep, but quickly._" Tasha said, moving swiftly past us. "_The Dalek inside me is waking._"

"_Fight it._"

"_I can't._"

"_Listen to me._" Dad implored her. "_You have been fighting the psychopath inside you all your life. Shut up and win._" He cupped her cheek. "_That is an order, Tasha Lem._"

"What is it with you and psychopaths?" I asked him with a smirk, moving past to get into the teleportation cubical with the others.

"It's an addiction. I have a problem." He replied with a wink.

Tasha tapped urgently at the controls as the five of us crammed into the small space. "_The force field will hold for a while, but it will decay and there are breaches already._"

"_Then this isn't a siege anymore... it's a war. It's all up to you now. Fight the Daleks, inside and out. You can do it, I know you can._"

"_Oh, I see._" She glared at him furiously, breathing heavily as though fighting the creature trying to take over her body was getting too much. _"You've got your TARDIS back, haven't you? Time to fly away."_

"_Tasha, please... Please... Thank you._"

"_None of this was for you, you fatuous egotist! It was for the peace._" She snapped. Moving towards us, she pushed open the curtain and looked directly at Dad. "_Fly away, Doctor._"

Seconds later we found ourselves standing on the metal deck of the console room. Mum looked at Dad for a moment, before turning and stalking away down the corridors and out of sight. Jenny hovered for a moment, before making her way after her. Clara moved to lean against the railings that ran around the deck, clearly trying to process everything.

"What's the plan, then?" I asked quietly, walking to stand beside him at the console.

"The plan?"

"Yeah?" I frowned at him. "What do we do now?"

There was a long pause and then a loud pinging sound broke through the silence.

"_It's done._"

"_What's done?_" Clara asked in confusion.

"_Your turkey._" He answered, much to my bewilderment. "_Either that or it's woken up._"

Clara laughed. "_D'you want some?_"

"_Go on then._"

"_Got any plates?_"

"_D'you know, I've even got Christmas crackers!_" Dad said lightly.

The young brunette paused. Then she turned and walked back across the console room to look him directly in the face. "_One thing. Give me those big, sad eyes. Look at me so I know you're not lying and tell me you will never send me away ever again._"

"_Clara Oswald... I will never send you away... again._"

She smiled up at him and then kissed him on the cheek before almost skipping away to get the turkey. As soon as she was out of earshot, I glared at him.

"Liar."

"I'm protecting her." He defended himself.

Shaking my head, I turned to leave in the same direction Mum and Jenny had disappeared in. "Keep telling yourself that, Dad, if it makes you feel better."

I found Mum and Jenny in the kitchen, sitting at the table as though nothing else was happening. Mum smiled at me as I entered, motioning to the seat beside hers while Jenny rose to make me a cup of tea. They seemed so calm that it was unnerving.

"What are we going to do?"

"We let him stew for a while." Mum replied calmly. "Tasha was right, he's a fatuous egotist."

"If we let him carry on the way he is for another hundred years or so, with things getting worse around him, then he'll have to realise that he can't do this on his own." Jenny added.

"I'm guessing he's sent Clara away?"

I nodded. "She asked him outright whether he'd leave her again and he lied to her face."

"Silly man." Mum sighed, shaking her head. "He never could see what was right in front of him."

Once the tea was drunk, the mugs washed and dried and neatly lined up on the cabinet beside the kettle, we headed back through to the console room. Dad was jabbing at the controls bad-temperedly and barely glanced up as we entered.

"Can you drop us off at Wilf and Sylvia's please, sweetie." Mum asked, leaning casually against the railings. "We're obviously not wanted around here, so we may as well get back to the Christmas celebrations."

Dad snorted. "About time."

"You know, anyone would think you hated having a family." Jenny commented dryly, shaking her head.

"I do when they're getting themselves into dangerous situations that they have no business being involved in."

"Same old Doctor, same old story." Mum said simply.

I said nothing, irritated beyond belief that Dad had slipped into the same pattern he always did in situations like this. His desire to protect those he cared about always caused him to believe that he was stronger on his own, that he could work things out without any help. He was wrong and he always realised it. Hopefully this time that realisation wouldn't come too late.

"Right, here you are." He announced a short while later, yanking on the breaks and bringing the TARDIS to a wheezing halt.

"Aren't you going to come in and say hello?" Jenny asked hopefully. "Everyone's here."

The Doctor shook his head. "No. No, I don't think so. Places to be, towns to defend."

Muttering under her breath, Mum stalked out of the police box without a backward glance. Jenny shot Dad a sad smile and followed, but I lingered behind for a moment, watching him hunched over his control panel.

"I know you're still here, Evie." He said bluntly. "I'm not taking you with me."

"I wouldn't expect you to." I said with a shrug. "But I think you're wrong."

"What's new?"

"You're wrong about needing to send everyone away. We're stronger together, there's safety in numbers... all those clichés are true for a reason, Dad."

He snorted. "Go and enjoy Christmas, Evie."

"You're an idiot."

"If I am then what does that make you?" He snapped back childishly.

I rolled my eyes and left the TARDIS, pausing as the engines started up and it dematerialised with a familiar wheezing. Mum wrapped an arm around my shoulders, her other arm already around Jenny, holding us both close.

"After Christmas Dinner, alright?" She said softly. "We'll stay for Dinner and then go and sort him out."


	212. Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore 5

As soon as we let ourselves into the house there was a loud exclamation and several figures descended on us at once. Jess and Amy were at the front of the queue, Rory, Donna, Jack, Sylvia and Sarah Jane just behind them. At once they all started talking, demanding explanations and answers to the many questions they threw at us.

"Where the hell have you three been?" Donna demanded as soon as the noise subsided slightly. "You just vanished without a word."

"When?" River asked, looking mildly irritated.

"Yesterday!"

"So it's Christmas?" Jenny asked excitedly.

"Have we missed Dinner?" I added, getting the most important question in quickly.

"Not yet." Nan admitted grudgingly. "There are still a couple of hours before the turkey will be ready. But where were you?"

"The Doctor?" Gran asked, tilting her head slightly as she examined us closely. We nodded wordlessly. "What's he done now?"

Mum sighed deeply. "It's a long story and it's not over yet. We'll tell you about it later."

Nan sniffed irritably. "He's not even here and he's causing mayhem and mischief. Right, well, if you're back there's vegetables to be prepared and a table to be laid."

Exchanging a look, we silently cursed Dad's inability to get the TARDIS to exactly where she needed to be, before following Nan through into the kitchen to help with lunch. Jenny and I were tasked with decorating and laying the table; no mean feat when there were seventeen people to account for. It seemed, though, that we had got the better end of the deal as, squeezing into the kitchen to fetch more serviettes, we saw Mum and Donna gossiping at the table with a mountain of vegetables in front of them.

-x-

"Mum?"

I glanced up from the present I was re-wrapping and smiled as Jess leant against the doorframe of the twin bedroom Donna had informed me that I was staying in, sharing with Jenny. Jess moved into the room and sat on the other bed, watching me as I finished what I was doing and put the present on the pile with the rest. There was no present opening allowed until after the Queen had made her speech.

"What's up, honey?"

"Where's Pops? Why's Grandma so pissed off?"

Patting the duvet beside me I waited until she had settled herself into my side and then exhaled deeply. "He's on Trenzalore. And the reason Mum's so pissed off is because she just saw... someone she cares about was killed by the Daleks. Well... sort of. Well, she's not really dead, but..."

"Trenzalore? But that means..."

"He's going to regenerate, yes."

"Why did you leave him?"

I shot her a look. "You know your Grandfather. We didn't really get a choice."

"Is he coming for Dinner?"

"Maybe. I'm not really sure."

Jess frowned at me. "So, why are you here? You never listen to him when he tells you to leave. Grandma never listens to him about anything. Why is this time different? Why is he on his own?"

"I..." Hesitating, I simply stared at her as though realising that she was right. I knew she was right. I knew that we shouldn't have given up and left him. Not that it really was giving up because we fully intended to go back when he'd had a chance to realise he was wrong. "You're right." Kissing the side of her head I smiled. "You're right, Jess. I need to go and speak to your grandma. Don't mention this to anyone else or we'll be in big trouble."

"Just don't miss lunch, OK, or Nan will probably serve you instead of the turkey."

I laughed and pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing my eyes closed and breathing in her scent. She was so like me in some ways and yet in others she was completely different. She had her wild moments, but they were often few and far between. Jess liked the adrenaline of an adventure, but she was also perfectly happy just living her life like everyone else. Just having her close was enough to ground me and keep me calm.

"I'll send Grandma and Auntie Jenny up." Jess suggested when we separated. "Your disappearance will be far less conspicuous that way."

With a nod, I sent her a weak smile and watched as she left the room. Jenny arrived first, clearly just as eager as I was to get this sorted. Mum arrived a couple of moments later, frankly looking rather irritated.

"Girls, I know you want your father here, but–"

"River, can't we just get it over and done with. Gramps is looking forward to Dad being here." Jenny pleaded.

Mum exhaled sharply and held up her hands in defeat. "Fine, but don't blame me if we walk straight into a battlefield."

And we practically did. Mum's Vortex Manipulator took us straight aboard the Papal Mainframe. When I pointed out that it was no wonder the Daleks had been able to attack if anyone could just beam themselves aboard, Mum informed us that she had been honoured with a special dispensation from the Mother Superious to allow her access to the craft. Without it, the Vortex Manipulator would simply have set us down on the nearest available solid surface which, knowing our luck, would have been on board the ship of one of our many enemies.

There was barely anyone onboard to question our presence as we made our way along the winding walkways in the direction of Tasha's Chapel. She, too, was conspicuously absent when we arrived, something that I could tell worried Mum immensely.

She fiddled with the controls of the teleporter for a moment, before ordering us into the cubical and joining us. With a press of the button on her wrist strap, we materialised outside the boundaries of Christmas for the second time. Unlike last time when it had looked peaceful and twinkling lights in the distance were the only indication that it was there, clouds of smoke hovered in the air above the buildings and bursts of light and flame broke through the darkness.

"I told you; battlefield." Mum muttered, striding off into the darkness.

Jenny frowned after her and then shot a look in my direction. "Why is she so pissed off?"

"It's Mum; could be anything." I replied as we trudged after her. "I think she's just worried, though. Worried about Dad, worried about us, worried about Tasha..."

"What is the deal with Tasha and your parents?"

Chuckling, I shook my head. "You think I want details? I've realised it's far better not to ask. I just end up wanting to bleach my mind otherwise."

"But... They're your parents? They're married to each other."

I was still slightly in awe of the child-like innocence Jenny had managed to hang on after all this time. "It's hardly a conventional marriage, Jen. They've got the whole of time and space between them most of the time."

"Doesn't that bother you?"

"Why should it? It's not my business." I reminded her casually. "Besides, I know they love each other more than anyone or anything else."

"Hurry up, girls!" Mum shouted, effectively ending our conversation as she paused on the outskirts of the town to wait for us.

Exchanging a look, we quickened our pace to catch up with her and the three of us entered Christmas together. People were screaming and running for their lives in all directions as we strode the the clouds of smoke and flying debris. In my head it was like a scene out of one of the classic action films Grandpa Rory and Granddad Brian liked to watch.

Bangs and explosions surrounded us, sending up more and more clouds of smoke and bursts of flame to obstruct our view of what was happening. A Cyberman lurched out of the darkness towards us, but Mum whipped out her gun and dispatched it before it could even raise its arm to attack.

"I see you haven't lost your touch, babes."


	213. Turkey, Tinsel and Trenzalore 6

Mum's head whipped round and her eyes fixed on the slim figure of the woman moving quickly towards her. Jenny and I took a step backwards as Tasha reached us and she and Mum embraced, both evidently incredibly glad to see the other.

"How are you? Still fighting?" Mum asked, running the pad of her thumb over the mark still clearly visible on the Mother Superious' forehead.

Tasha nodded. "I am."

"Good."

"The Doctor is close to death." The woman said softly, her eyes flickering in our direction momentarily, before returning to Mum. "Clara is with him. You should go too."

"And you?"

"I have a Church to defend." Tasha reminded her, raising her jaw determinedly. "I shall see you when this is over."

She pressed her lips to Mum's left cheek, her fingertips lingering on her jaw for a moment before she turned and disappeared into the battle. Momentarily, Mum hesitated. Then she set off quickly in the direction if the building we had watched the Doctor and Clara emerge from when we had been there before.

Shooting at anything that got in her way, Mum threw open the door and looked around. It was small and cramped, yet surprisingly cosy, inside the building. Clara turned at the sound of the door bouncing off the wall, her eyes wide with fear.

"Where is he?" Mum demanded.

Wordlessly the young woman pointed up the spiral staircase and Mum began running up them in search of her husband. Jenny moved towards Clara, but my eyes were fixed on a familiar looking crack in the wall behind her.

"That crack... what's it doing here? Why...?"

"It's where the Time Lords' signal is coming from. And the truth field. It's coming through that crack." Clara said.

I began to pace, thinking hard. "But that's... The cracks closed when the... And the Pandorica... But then there was... Even the Angels..."

"Errr..." Clara frowned at Jenny. "What's she on about?"

"I have no idea." She admitted with a shrug. "But she'll get there in a minute."

"We don't have a minute."

"_Listen to me you lot, listen._" Clara ordered, moving to stand in front of the crack. I tried to pull her back, afraid of what might happen if she got too close, but she swatted me away. "_Help him. Help him change the future. Do it! Do something._"

"Clara you can't just–"

"_You've been asking a question and it's time someone told you you've been getting it wrong._" She knelt beside the almost blinding light and whispered into the crack. "_His name? His name is the Doctor. All the name he needs; everything you need to know about him. And if you love him, and you should, help him. Help him._"

There was nothing. Clara remained on the ground for a moment, before Jenny helped her to stand, wrapping an arm around the younger woman's shoulders. Turning, they began to walk slowly towards me.

Suddenly, when they had taken less than a handful of steps, there was a grinding sound and the crack vanished. The top and bottom came together, causing the blinding light to vanish, leaving us in darkness; the only light now coming from the twinkling Christmas lights.

None of us moved for a couple of minutes and then, as one, we turned and ran for the doors and out into the snow. Almost tumbling down the steps in our haste, we joined the crowd staring up at the top of the tower.

"_Sorry I'm a bit slow._" The Doctor's voice rang out clearly through the darkness from the platform he was standing on. "_May not be at my best right now._"

"_You are dying, Doctor._" The booming voice of a Dalek replied from the ship high in the sky above Christmas.

"_Yes, I'm dying._" He agreed. "_You've been trying to kill me for centuries and here I am, dying of old age. If you want something done, do it yourself._"

"You may be dying, but you're not alone." Mum's voice joined his. "I'm here. I'm always here."

"River, no..."

She laughed. "Doctor, yes."

"_You will die and the Time Lords will never return._" The Dalek droned, drawing them out of their argument and back to matters at hand.

"_You still can't work up the courage to shoot me._" Dad accused, growing angry. He ignored Mum's soothing hand on his arm, jabbing his walking stick into the air in the vague direction of the Dalek ship. "You're _still worried I've got something up my sleeve._"

As though in direct response to his words, laser beams shot through the air, sending the crowd scattering in search of cover. Clara, Jenny and I remained where we were, staring up at the figures of my parents on the platform.

Mum had pulled Dad to his feet and was standing close to him, her hands on his face. Her words were inaudible to us on the ground, but the expression on her face was unmistakable. The love shining in her eyes, reflected in his, gave me hope that this would end well after all.

Suddenly Jenny screamed, grasping my arm and pointing upwards. I looked up, expecting to see an approaching Dalek or laser beam or some other threat on our lives. Instead I was greeted by the sight of the crack appearing in the sky, its light shining down on the battle that was still raging all around us.

"What the hell...?" I muttered, shaking my head and ripping my gaze away from the crack to look back at my parents.

They, too were staring at it, Dad muttering something to Mum. She shook her head, gripping his arm tightly. He said something else, turning to look at her seriously. Mum nodded and took a step back, her hand falling from his arm and dropping heavily to her side as Dad turned to look up at the crack again.

A golden mist seeped from the centre, slowly making its way down and congregating around Dad. It seemed to enter him through every available pore, filling him completely with the energy.

I laughed; the sound jarring with the battle raging around me. Both Clara and Jenny turned to face me, their eyes wide and confused. It took a moment for me to be able to stop laughing and explain.

"That mist… it's regeneration energy." I said, shaking my head in amazement. "It's what happened to you on Messaline when Cobb shot you. It's pure, powerful, beautiful golden regeneration energy." I laughed again. "And it's the same energy that apparently surrounded Donna and I when I brought her memories back."

"What does that mean?" Clara asked, looking between us quickly as Jenny started to laugh as well.

"It means everything's going to be OK." Jenny informed her, pulling her into a hug. Then she grasped both our hands and pulled us towards the tower. "Come on!"

"_You will die now, Doctor!_" The Dalek threatened as we ran. It was clearly audible even as we stormed up the spiral staircase and burst onto the platform. "_This is the end of you! The rules of regeneration are known. You have expended all your lives!_"

"_I'm sorry, what did you say? Did you mention the rules?_" Dad asked, spreading him arms and looking up. "_Now, listen, bit of advice; tell me the truth if you think you know it, lay down the law if you're feeling brave. But, Daleks, never ever tell me the rules!_"

As Dad whirled around on the spot he flailed his arms and flung his stick around dangerously. He was at serious risk of hitting one of us, but didn't seem to notice in his excitement.

The Daleks were panicking, calling out warnings and emergency messages about the Doctor regenerating. Mum laughed happily, throwing her arms around Dad and planting a kiss on his lips.

"_Oh, look at this! Regeneration number thirteen! We're breaking some serious science here, boys!_" He shouted, dancing around the platform and waving his stick around again. "_I tell you what, it's gonna be a whopper!"_

"_Exterminate! Exterminate the Doctor!_"

"_You think you can stop me now, Daleks? If you want my life, come and get it!_" He roared, before whirling his arm around and shooting a blast of pure regeneration energy at the Dalek ship.

He raised his other arm and more golden light flew from him and up into the air. Mum jumped into action, shepherding the three of us into the tower and down the staircase.

"Get everyone inside. Tell them to take cover wherever they can. Now!"

We did as she said, bursting through the doors and rounding up the residents of Christmas as though they were sheep. When every last person was out of the open and crowded into the tower and other buildings that were still standing, we closed the doors and waited. There were a serious of ear-splitting explosions and a shockwave ripped through the entire area.

And then, nothing. Silence fell over the town in the aftermath of the battle and the Doctor unleashing the regeneration energy on his enemies. Cautiously, we made our way outside and surveyed the damage. Small fires burnt in various places and dust still lingered in the air. Picking our way through the debris, we paused a little way away from the tower, gathering together to discuss our next move.

"Where's Clara?" I asked after a moment, suddenly realising that she wasn't with us.

Mum and Jenny looked around. Then Jenny pointed behind me. "TARDIS." Seeing the brunette vanishing inside the police box, we hurried to join her. "Dad is OK, isn't he?"

"Of course, sweetie." Mum assured her, ushering us through the doors before entering herself and closing them firmly behind her.

We found ourselves staring at Dad and Clara staring at each other as though both were incredibly confused by the entire situation. It was understandable in Clara's case as the face just inches in front of hers, belonging to a man she knew so well, was one she had never seen before in her life.

Suddenly Dad spasmed, clutching his abdomen. "_Kidneys! I've got new kidneys. I don't like the colour..."_

"_Of your kidneys?_" Clara asked. Before he could answer, if he was even intending to, the TARDIS began bucking and tilting alarmingly. "_What's happening?_"

"_We're probably crashing."_

"_Into what?"_

"_Stay calm!"_ Dad ordered, flicking randomly at the dials and buttons on the console. "_Just one question. D'you happen to know how to fly this thing?"_

"We do." Mum said, moving forward and taking her place at the controls. Jenny and I copied her, beginning to get the machine under control. In minutes the TARDIS was flying smoothly once more.

"River! Girls!"

"Alright, Dad?" I grinned. "Nice face."

"Am I ginger?"

Jenny screwed up her face and examined him. "You're sort of… completely… grey."

"Damn." He sighed. "I really thought this time for sure…"

I grinned. "Told you you weren't getting out of Nan's Christmas Dinner."

"I wouldn't want to!" He retorted, almost offended. "Sylvia makes the best roast potatoes."

"Clara?" Mum offered, her hand hovering over the landing lever.

The brunette shook her head. "I should get back to Dad and Gran and Linda. They've been waiting for their lunch for a long, long time."

I chuckled as Mum typed the coordinates into the screen of the console. As we touched down on the grass outside Clara's block of flats, we all walked towards the doors.

"Well, Clara, I'll be seeing you very soon." Dad told her with a broad smile.

She grinned and reached up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm counting on it."

"Merry Christmas."

As soon as she disappeared into the tower block, the TARDIS doors were closed and we sent her flying back through the Vortex. When she materialised again it was in the back garden of Sylvia and Wilf's house and we piled out, eager to get our Christmas Dinner.

When I entered the back door into the kitchen, however, I was greeted by a slap on the arm and furious glare.

"Oww! Nan!" I complained, rubbing my arm and looking between the assembled faces. "What was that for?"

"We waited for you to come back and we've missed the Queen's speech!"

"Sorry, Nan." Jenny apologised, wincing.

"And who's that?" Sylvia demanded, squinting at Dad as he entered the house after Mum, closing the door behind him.

"Sylvia!" He exclaimed, leaping towards her and kissing her on both cheeks. "Where are the roast potatoes?"

Nan sighed. "Ah, Doctor, go and sit at the table. Tell the others lunch is ready."

There was a rush for the table. The lunch passed in a blur of laughter and stories and jokes and more laughter. For once there were no arguments for the whole week. The biggest thing for most of the inhabitants of the house over the holidays was getting used to Dad's new body.

But, as Mum pointed out after several glasses of wine, at least she didn't look like a cradle snatcher or someone taking their son out anymore. In fact, she was thrilled that she was now the younger-looking of the two.

I was just glad he was alive.


	214. Priorities

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: Priorities**

Age: 47

Location: Chiswick, England, Earth

Date: July 18th 2014

* * *

><p>"But why?" Jessica complained as I pushed the lid of her suitcase closed with a string of hissed expletives. "Why do I have to go?"<p>

"Because I have to work and I don't know how long it's going to take." I explained as gently as I could, my frustration with the stubborn zip spilling over into my tone. "Uncle Jack has an important job for me, so you're going to stay with Aunty Donna and your cousins for a while."

"I want to stay with Grandma." The eight-year-old argued, scowling at me and folding her arms. She pushed out her bottom lip in a petulant pout, narrowing her eyes and stamping her foot. Then she collapsed dramatically onto her bed.

I sighed. "Well you can't."

"Why?"

"Because Grandma isn't talking to me at the moment and Gran and Gramps are on a cruise of the Nebula Spiral and I have no idea where Pops is. I think he's off with Clara somewhere, but I can't be sure. I think I've managed to upset the TARDIS as well, because I can't get a fix on their location."

"But–?"

"I'm sorry, honey," I said softly, giving up on my battle with the suitcase and moving to sit beside my daughter on the bed, "I know you don't want me to go. I don't want to go either."

Jess looked up at me and frowned, not understanding. "So why are you?"

"Because Uncle Jack needs me to, sweetie. This is my job; it's what I do."

"Why can't someone else do it? Why does it have to be you?"

"Aunty Jenny's already on a case and the others have their own jobs to do." I tried to explain without going into specifics and worrying her any more than she already was. "I'll be fine, baby, I promise."

"Because you're superwoman?"

I chuckled, nudging her in the side. "Too right I am. I make Daleks cry, remember?"

Jess rolled her eyes. "Don't be silly, Mum. That's just a story you told me when I had nightmares."

"Says who?" I asked her challengingly, raising an eyebrow.

"Daleks can't cry."

"Who told you that? Pops? What does he know?"

Nudging me with her elbow, Jess rolled her eyes. "He knows everything; he's the Doctor."

Groaning, I shook my head and hauled myself to my feet, preparing to battle the suitcase again. "Don't ever, ever let him hear you saying that." I cautioned with a smirk. "If his head gets any bigger it'll explode." Then I paused, looking at my daughter fondly, before bending and pressing a kiss to her forehead. "Please don't be angry with me, sweetie. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Will you come and visit me?" Jess asked in a small voice, looking at me from behind her hair.

"Of course I will, whenever I can." I promised, kissing her again.

x-x

The mission Jack had sent me on had taken far longer than I'd expected. My promise to visit Jess hadn't gone to plan and I'd only popped in twice during the month I'd been away. I felt awful about it, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

Running a hand through my hair, wincing as I caught my nails in a tangle and yanked my head downwards sharply, I limped up the driveway to Donna and Jack's house. Leaning heavily against the wall beside the door, I jabbed my finger against the button of the doorbell twice, before exhaling sharply and waiting for someone to answer. A light clicked on in the hallway and a shadow appeared on the other side of the glass.

Donna's eyes widened dramatically as she saw me standing on the step. There was a split second where she ran her gaze over me, before she reached out and pulled me into a tight hug. I winced as the embrace agitated my still healing ribs and she accidentally pressed against the many sore spots on my body where evil-looking bruises had blossomed.

"What happened?" My aunt demanded in a low hiss as she pulled me into the kitchen and sat me down at the kitchen table.

"I ran into an angry gang of scavengers after I left the Aplan Mortarium." I told her, watching while she opened a cabinet and pulled out a well-stocked first aid kit.

Filling a bowl with warm water and disinfectant, Donna scowled as she began to clean the many wounds that were visible without me removing any clothing. "No wonder Jack didn't tell me where he'd sent you. The Aplan Mortarium? What was he thinking sending you back there?"

"I was the only free agent. Besides, it's my job." I defended him with a wince as she pressed the cleansing liquid into a cut above my eye. "How… how's Jess been?"

"She's alright." Donna assured me gently. "Your mother's been to visit several times and the Doctor popped in with Clara, too."

"Jess is angry with me, isn't she?"

"She'll get over it." The red-head promised.

"She shouldn't have to." I pointed out, resting my head on the table and sighing deeply. "I shouldn't be leaving her with you or Mum or Gran and Gramps while I go off for weeks at a time. What if I didn't come back?"

Donna clasped my hands tightly. "You will always come back for her. I know you will."

"That's not the point. She should be my priority."

"She is, Evie." Donna reminded me firmly. "You know it. You're just feeling guilty. You're tired and in pain and worried that she's going to be angry with you. Jess knows that she's the most important thing in your life. She knows that everything you do is for her. You do your job to make sure the universe is safer for her."

"She doesn't see it like that."

"She will do."

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders, letting Donna continue to patch me up. We sat in silence for a long while. Donna indicated that I take my t-shirt off so she could assess the damage she couldn't see. She sucked her breath in through her teeth as she spotted the angry bruising covering most of my torso. Knowing better than to express her concern or ask for more details about how I'd received my injuries, Donna decided to change the subject.

"Jess has been asking about her father."

"She's what?"

"She wants to know who he is." Donna arched an eyebrow. "I've got to admit, love, we're all wondering."

I chewed my lip. "If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone; especially Dad?"

"I promise."

"The Master."

Donna frowned at me, the cloth in her hand falling onto the table with a soft squelch. "The Master? That nutter who tried to kill the Doctor?"

I nodded slowly. "I couldn't help it. I was working undercover and I just… I fell in love, Aunty Donna. I never meant for it to happen. But then… then I saw what he was really like and I… I killed him. Dad would never forgive me if he realised."

"I won't tell him, but Jessica deserves to know. Remember how you felt?"

"It's completely different!" I argued.

She nodded. "You're right, but she still deserves to know. Think about what you told me. Remember who and what your priorities are. Don't hide Jess' heritage from her."

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN: What's this? A new chapter?!_**

**_I'm sorry it's been so long - a combination of not enough hours in the day, massive amounts of stuff going on in the real world and disillusionment with the last/this new series of Doctor Who has led to a lack of inspiration._**

**_I'll try and update when I can, but I can't promise how often it'll be!_**

**_x_**


	215. Third Chances 1

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: **

Age: 64

Location: London, England, Earth

Date: 1 April 2039/1 November 2014

* * *

><p><em><strong>River and Evie were sitting at the kitchen table in the house they shared in Leadworth, trying to come up with a way of pulling off their most elaborate April Fools' trick on Rory and Amy yet. Every year they competed against the Ponds to see who could come up with the best prank.<strong>_

_**With a sigh, River left her daughter still thinking over the logistics of their plan to answer the phone that was ringing shrilly in the hall. They hadn't bothered to invest in more than one, knowing that it was only the Doctor who ever attempted to reach them on the landline anyway.**_

"_**What have you done this time?" The woman sighed, wondering what adventure her husband was about to drag them into. She rolled her eyes as Evie wandered towards her, leaning against the door frame and listening in amusement. **_

"_**I might have a situation that requires Evie's assistance." The Doctor admitted, his voice tinny over the loudspeaker that River had activated so they could both listen.**_

"_**Me?" His daughter frowned, stepping forward towards her mother.**_

"_**Yes… it would appear that your prior dealings with the Master might come in handy."**_

_**River shot a look at Evie, who had gone deathly pale at the implications of his words. "Doctor?"**_

"_**The Master's gone."**_

_**The Doctor laughed mirthlessly. "Not quite." Then he cleared his throat. "Well… the Master's gone… but the Mistress is very much wandering around central London."**_

"_**The… The Mistress?" River repeated, unsure as to whether she'd heard correctly. Behind her there was a dull thud and she turned to see her daughter lying sprawled on the hallway carpet. "This better not be some kind of joke, Doctor, because Evie may have just given herself concussion."**_

* * *

><p>When I woke, it took me a couple of moments to realise why I was lying on the sofa in the living room, covered by a blanket. As the memories of the conversation I'd had just before fainting returned, I pushed the throw away and pulled myself into a seated position. Running a hand through my hair, I looked quickly around the room, formulating a plan in my mind.<p>

"Evie? What are you doing?" Mum demanded, entering the room from the direction of the kitchen.

"Dad asked for my help." I reminded her, scooping up my Vortex Manipulator from the mantelpiece and several other useful items from the coffee table. "I need to go."

"Sweetie, you fainted. I don't think you should–"

"Dad needs me."

She sighed. "Time travel. You don't have to go right this minute. Wait until–"

"Mum, I'm going." I informed her seriously, clipping my holster tightly into place around my hips and reaching behind her for my jacket which was hanging on the hooks. "I'm fine."

"Then I'm coming with you." Mum informed me firmly, grabbing her own jacket and moving across the room.

Pushing her thumb onto a touchpad that was disguised as an elaborate design on the front of the bureau in the corner, Mum tapped her foot impatiently as the front slowly descended and revealed the hidden compartments inside. Rooting around for her laser blaster, she also removed the hallucinogenic lipstick, two sonic grenades and a couple of vials of almost translucent, shimmering purple liquid that I didn't even want to ask about.

"Mum… this is the Master. He's… insane."

"That's exactly why you're not going alone."

Sensing that arguing was not going to get me anywhere, I just shrugged and held out my hand. Mum smirked, almost triumphantly, before linking our fingers. Fiddling with the buttons on my Vortex Manipulator, I honed in on Dad's genetic signal and, with one last look at Mum, I pressed the button and sent us hurtling through the Vortex.

There was a thud and we found ourselves standing in the middle of London. No one seemed to notice our sudden arrival, despite the fact that the streets were packed. There was also no sign of anything out of the ordinary happening. I let go of Mum's hand so that I could smooth my hair down, straightening my jacket and looking around intently for a clue as to which direction we needed to be heading in.

"Please tell me you're not worried about how you look?" Mum muttered, arching an eyebrow at me. "And _please_ tell me it's not for the Master's benefit?"

"Of course not." I snapped back, a little too quickly to set her mind at rest, before striding away in search of the Doctor. "They're this way."

"How do you know?"

I hesitated, coming to an abrupt halt in the direct path of a couple of tourists who sent me dirty looks before moving round me and continuing on their way. I wasn't entirely sure how I knew where Dad and the Master were, expect that I had the same feeling I'd had on board the Valiant and in Naismith Manor all those years ago. Something was pulling me in this direction and I was convinced it was something to do with the rogue Time Lord I had never thought I'd see again.

"I'm not sure." I settled on eventually.

Mum shot me an unconvinced, slightly concerned look and nodded sharply. "I think you're right." She announced after a moment where she screwed her nose up and glanced around quickly.

Before I could ask why she thought that, she had begun to stride away, crossing the busy street without a second thought to the oncoming traffic or the other pedestrians. Glancing quickly up and down the road before launching myself into the crowd after her, I followed.

It soon became clear that our suspicions were correct and we were heading in the right direction. The unmistakable sound of Dad's voice, in all its twelfth regeneration's Scottishness, reached us before we could even see him. He seemed to be warning people to get away, to run from the area for their own safety.

"Apparently we're in the right place." Mum muttered dryly.

I saw her patting the spot by her hip where her gun was resting, before a hard, determined expression settled itself on her face and she sped up. With a small smirk, I followed at a slightly more leisurely pace. We pushed our way through the crowds, heading for the apparent cause of the noise.

"Sorry everyone; another ranting Scotsman in the street." A female voice shouted, reaching our ears seconds before we spotted her. "I had no idea there was a match on."

My hearts seemed to lurch in my chest as my eyes fell on a brunette, wearing a rather impressive hat, sitting on the steps looking completely at ease with the situation. In front of her, Dad was still rushing around, attempting to make everyone leave the area.

As we approached, the woman stood and moved to Dad's side, laying a hand on his arm and muttering something to him. They had a short, one-sided conversation, which involved the Doctor's face growing more and more concerned and a broad smile covering his companion's.

"Doctor?" Mum reached the pair seconds before I did, but it was not Dad who replied to her greeting.

"Evie Song… well I never." The woman smirked at me, her eyes roving over me in a proprietorial fashion.

"Master…" I breathed, almost unable to believe what my eyes, and hearts, were telling me.

She smirked. "It's the Mistress, now." She pointed out with a flourish of her hand over her altered body. "But you can call me Missy."

"Really?" I arched an eyebrow. "I thought you were dead."

"Thought or hoped?"

"Hoped." I admitted freely, jerking my shoulders in an approximation of a shrug. Seeing the way she was looking at me, doing a brilliant impression of a hungry Esp bug eyeing up a Nim worm, I scowled at her. "Stop looking at me like that!"

"You're still my wife." Missy reminded me, almost smugly.

"Says who?"

"Says Gallifreyan law." She replied with a meaningful glance in Dad's direction.

"Dad?"

He glared at Missy, before turning his eyes towards me and nodding sharply. "Yeah, yeah, yeah... Haven't we got more pressing matters to deal with?"

"Wait, so I married the Master and even though he's regenerated into… into… her… it still counts?" I demanded, putting my hands on my hips and pouting childishly at the trio around me. "How is that even remotely fair?"

Mum arched an eyebrow at me, before waving her hands between her and the Doctor. "Hello?"

"Yes… but you actually like each other."

Missy put her hand on her chest, over the spot where one of her hearts would be and pulled a face of over-exaggerated hurt. "You wound me, darling."

"As I said before, we don't have time for this." Dad snapped. "You married her and, under Gallifreyan law, you're still married; regeneration or no regeneration. Now, can we get on?"

As he turned away, talking to Missy about the Cybermen, watching in disbelief as the humans around us began posing and taking photographs with the metal men, I looked to Mum, hoping to find some semblance of sympathy or understanding on her face. Instead she merely shrugged and folded her arms.

"Your father is right. You knew about Gallifreyan law and wedding ceremonies. You chose to marry the Master and you know that regeneration isn't an end to the contract you entered into."

"But, she's–"

"Your wife."

"Insane."

"True."

I scowled. "How are you OK with this?"

Mum laughed mirthlessly, her eyes flashing. "Oh, I can assure you that I am far from OK with this. But right now… right now we've got more imminent problems than your husband returning from the dead as a woman."

* * *

><p><em><strong>AN: It's been so long, I know. I am sorry.**_

_**But I love, love, LOVE Missy and needed to have her and Evie coming face-to-face. As soon as her identity was revealed I realised the implications for Evie, etc, and needed to see how that would work out!**_

_**I hope you enjoy it!**_

_**x**_


	216. Third Chances 2

**Evie****'****s TARDIS Diary: **

Reluctantly I followed Mum in the direction the Doctor and Missy had gone. I frowned as I watched the pair of them standing with their backs to the rows of Cybermen, talking to a brunette wearing an anorak and what was, I was slightly bemused to realise, a bowtie. She held up the device that Missy had been waving around, almost as though she was taking a photograph of the pair. Seconds later, however, there were guns pointed in their direction from all around.

"What the–?" I demanded, lurching forward, but Mum held me back, shaking her head sharply and glancing around to try and work out who was behind the sudden appearance of so many weapons.

She let out a small, low-pitched chuckle, as a blonde woman strode forwards, apparently completely nonchalant about the whole situation. "Kate Stewart… I should have guessed."

"Who?"

"UNIT."

"UNIT?"

"Unified Intell–"

"I know who UNIT are." I snapped, furrowing my eyebrows at her. "But how are they here? And why?"

Mum shrugged, hesitating slightly as Kate walked closer to the Doctor and Missy. She gave an order and two armed men grasped the Time Lady by the arms, pulling her roughly away from the Doctor. I let out an involuntary sound, barely stopping myself flinching as they manhandled her. As Mum sent me a half-knowing, half-irritated look, I hastily turned my attention back to the blonde, who was apparently introducing herself to the Cybermen.

"_Kate Stewart, divorcee, mother of two, keen gardener, outstanding bridge player. Also, Chief Scientific Officer, Unified Intelligence Taskforce, who currently have you surrounded._"

"I like her." I whispered to Mum, smirking at the blonde's no-nonsense approach to the situation.

"_Human weaponry is not effective against Cyber technology._" The metal man closest to her said.

Kate smirked, dropping a battered and partially broken Cyberman head on the ground by its feet. "_Sorry, you left this behind on one of your previous attempts. So, now that I have your attention, welcome to the only planet in the universe where we get to say this; he's on the payroll._"

Dad looked confused as she pointed towards him. "_Am I?_"

"_Well, technically._"

"_How much?_"

"_Shh._" Kate ordered. "_Any questions?_"

In response to her words, the Cyberman bashed his hand into his front panel. At once there was a hydraulic hissing sound and smoke began billowing from the Cybermen, covering the ground like thick fog. I quickly realised it wasn't smoke, but steam, caused by some reaction within the metal creature that allowed them, unbelievably, to begin rising into the air. There was a loud whooshing as, within seconds, all of the assembled Cybermen had shot skywards, vanishing from sight.

"Cybermen don't fly…" I pointed out unnecessarily.

My comment, however, attracted attention in my direction and immediately I found myself looking down the barrels of numerous UNIT guns. With a sigh I held my hands up, shrugging as two armed soldiers grabbed my arms.

Immediately coming to my defence, Mum pulled out her laser blaster, ordering the men to let me go. All that succeeded in doing, was drawing more attention to us and causing more soldiers to rush towards where we were standing.

"River!" Kate strode towards us, embracing Mum briefly before turning her steely gaze in my direction. "And this is?"

"My daughter, Evie."

"Let her go." The blonde demanded at once, looking directly at the men still clamped to my sides. "A pleasure to meet you, Evie."

"You too…" I muttered, rubbing my arms as the feeling slowly returned.

There was no time for any more talk, however, as the roof of St Paul's Cathedral began peeling away, almost like an orange, to allow more Cybermen to ascend into the sky.

"_There's going to be mass panic. Everyone in London can see that._"

"_Everyone in London just clapped and went 'whee'!_" Dad pointed out sarcastically. "_Hush, I'm trying to count._"

"_87 I think._" The woman in the anorak and bowtie said quickly. When several pairs of eyes were turned in her direction, she simply shrugged. "_OCD._"

"_91._" Missy corrected with a smug smirk and a shrug. "_Queen of evil._"

"_How could St Paul's be full of 91 Cybermen and nobody noticed?_" Kate demanded.

"_Dimensional engineering; one space folded inside another. Bigger on the inside._"

I frowned. "But that's like–"

Dad turned his gaze slowly on Missy, who was still grinning proudly. "_Easy if you're a Time Lord._"

"_Mostly deploying south, a smaller number east._"

"_Yup, but one straight up._"

"_So 91 isn't a coincidence?_"

"_Of course it isn't._" Dad muttered, rolling his eyes.

"_Osgood… 91? Explain._" Kate demanded of the brunette beside her.

She nodded. "_91 areas of significant population density in the British Isles._"

"_That's one Cyberman for every city and major town._" Dad agreed, his eyes roving over a map of the UK. "_It's happening everywhere, all over the world, right now!_"

"_Sweet planet this…_" Missy told him, her eyes moving past him and holding mine steadily. "_I think I might keep it._"

With an irritated snort, I rolled my eyes and looked away. Managing to catch Mum's eyes, I was slightly confused to see the slight amusement that was playing over her face. As her gaze moved between the Doctor and Missy, I realised what had sparked her amusement; Missy and I were acting like her and Dad, just with a touch more evil genius thrown into the mix. I scowled.

"_One Cyberman per city? What could they hope to accomplish?_" Kate asked, evidently trying to work things out in her mind and failing.

"_Doctor!_" Osgood pointed up at the Cyberman who had been hovering in the air over St Paul's Cathedral.

There was an almighty bang and the creature exploded into a cloud of fire and smoke. The explosion was massive, spreading out further than I would have thought possible with just one Cyberman at the centre of it. As we watched, the mass seemed to turn into a storm cloud; becoming darker and darker and spreading out even further across the sky.

"_Has it exploded?_"

"_More than that._" Missy explained in a slightly bored tone. "_Cybermen don't just blow themselves up for no good reason, dear. They're not human._"

"_If it's not exploding, what's it doing?_" Dad demanded.

"_Pollinating._" Missy smiled and raised her arms into the air. "_Falling like rain into the cracks of the Earth._"

"Explain."

With an overdramatic sigh, Missy indicated the two UNIT soldiers holding her arms tightly. "I would love to, but I just can't think in this situation."

Stepping forward, I removed my laser blaster from its holster and jabbed it viciously towards her. "I'll take over."

"You're not going anywhere near her." Dad snapped at me.

I scowled. "You want to know what's happening." I reminded him. "I've got this."

With a sigh, the Doctor nodded at the soldiers, who reluctantly released their grip on Missy and stood back. If anyone had been expecting me to grab hold of her, they were sadly mistaken. I stood beside her, my laser blaster centimetres from her side, but there was no way I was going to allow myself to come into physical contact with the woman.

"_The dead are coming home, Doctor._" Missy announced, stepping forward and pulling on the edges of Dad's jacket. He glanced at me, as though expecting me to remove her from his personal space, but I didn't move. "_All shiny and new. In 24 hours, the human race as you know it will cease to exist._"

"_What are you doing? Explain. Tell me now!_"

Before she could say anything else, there was a soft hiss and some kind of tranquiliser was shot into the side of Missy's neck. I let out a panicked growl, forgetting about my suspicions and anger towards the woman and grabbing hold of her as she fell, slowly lowering her to the ground.

My angry comments merged with Dad's as he pointed out that he needed to speak to her; needed to know what was going on. Before he could start arguing with Kate about the situation, there was another soft hiss and he clutched his neck.

"Don't even try it." I snapped, spotting the soldier advancing on me with another tranquiliser gun in his hand.

"It's a precaution." Kate promised me. "We need cooperation and with the Doctor, it's not always guaranteed."

"Trust me, you've got my full cooperation."

She looked a little guilty. "We can't take that risk."

I had no time to react before I felt a piercing pain in my neck and a warm sensation spreading throughout my body. My limbs no longer seemed to react to anything my brain was telling them and, before long, blackness completely obscured my vision and I was out.


	217. Third Chances 3

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: **

When I came round, we seemed to be in some kind of aircraft hangar. Stretching slowly, I attempted to work out the kinks in my neck and back, something that was made incredibly difficult by the fact I was handcuffed to some kind of upright trolley, before looking around for any clues as to what was going on.

People were hurrying around looking busy underneath a huge aircraft that almost filled the space we were in. A short way off, Mum and Kate were talking animatedly, evidently disagreeing on something in particular. I sincerely hoped that it was the way I was being treated. Spotting me glaring at them, the two women turned and strode in my direction.

"I'm sorry about the way you were brought here." Kate had the good grace to apologise. "River's explained how things stand between you and the Mistress. We couldn't afford to take any chances."

"There's _nothing_ between me and her." I snapped, scowling as the blonde indicated for one of my personal armed guards to unlock the handcuffs holding me in position. "I tried to kill her… him… I _did_ kill him." I pointed out, rubbing my wrists angrily. "What? Do you seriously think that after everything, _everything_, I have any intention of helping her?"

"Of course not, Evie." Mum rolled her eyes, clearly thinking I was being overdramatic. "But I know the hold she has over you."

I laughed sardonically. "There is no hold!"

"Kate, can you give us a minute, please?" Mum requested, not even sparing the head of UNIT a glance. The blonde nodded and moved away to speak to the brunette who never seemed to be far away from her boss. "She may have regenerated, but you know as well as I do that doesn't alter how we feel about them."

"I don't feel anything for her." I reiterated slowly. "She is nothing to me."

"Don't be ridiculous." Mum snapped, crossing her arms and furrowing her eyebrows. "Anyone can see you still love her."

"What? I don't even know her."

With a deep sigh, she moved closer and run her hand gently through my hair. "You're still my little girl, Evie." She told me softly. "I can read you like a book. I can see how hard you're fighting it, but your eyes are giving you away. You and Missy are linked, just like the Doctor and I are."

"I don't want to be linked to her." I sighed, running my hand over my face. "I don't want this." Shaking my head, I stood up straight and fixed her with a determined glare. "I'm not linked to her, she is not my problem any further than stopping whatever insane plan she's come up with this time."

"Eves…"

"No, Mum. I don't want to hear about it."

"It's not that simple, though, is it?"

I scowled. "This time when I kill her, she won't be coming back."

Without waiting for her to reply, I turned on my heels and stalked away. I was fuming at the assumption that I had no choice in how I felt about the Mistress. She was not the person I'd married all those years ago. Even that person was not someone I still had any desire to spend any amount of time around.

x-x

I found the fact that Dad had been promoted to President of Earth highly amusing, especially as he was so uncomfortable about it. Jessica had phoned me, not long after we'd taken off, asking whether I knew anything about what was going on. After ordering her to stay away from the storm clouds that had appeared as a result of the Cybermen exploding, I demanded that she put Jack on the phone. Grumbling, she did as she was told, allowing me to give him a quick rundown on the situation.

"Torchwood are keeping an eye on things on the round." I informed the others, holding up my Vortex Manipulator. "They're going to monitor the clouds and send me readings regularly."

Kate nodded, before turning back to Dad. "Where do we start, Mr President?"

"Firstly, stop calling me that." He ordered, putting down his cup of tea and jumping to his feet. "Secondly, I need to speak to Missy."

"I'll come." I offered.

"No!" Mum argued at once.

The Doctor glanced between us and then shrugged. "Alright, but I'm in charge."

"Doctor!"

"River, I won't let her do anything stupid."

I rolled my eyes. "I'm not a child."

"Of course you are." Dad scoffed, grasping me by the arm and pulling me along with him. "You're only in your sixties; you're just a whippersnapper. You've got a lot to learn yet, my girl."

"So this is your attempt to educate me, is it?" I demanded, wrenching my arm free and glaring at him. "Show me where I went wrong with my life choices?"

He stopped in his tracks, looked confused for a moment and then shook his head, continuing along the metal corridor. "Nope. I want you to help me."

It was my turn to stop and look at him in bemusement. "Me? Help you?"

"You have a different perspective." Dad replied, not meeting my eyes as he strode along. I knew instantly that he wasn't comfortable with the fact that I might be able to get through to Missy if he failed. I might succeed if he failed. "She _was_ my best friend. She _is_ your wife."

"She is _not_ my wife!" I snapped. "I married the Master, not her."

"So you're uncomfortable because she's a woman now?"

"No!" I defended myself instantly. "It's not that at all. She's just not…"

He didn't stop walking, but turned and fixed me with a knowing look. "She's just not the same person so she can't be your wife? Am I not still your father?"

"Dad, it's different. It's…"

"It's not different." He dismissed my words with a wave of his hand. "It's exactly the same. Are you not the same person since you regenerated? If Jessica regenerates will she still be your daughter?"

"Stop talking!" I demanded, pouting like a spoilt brat. "It's not the same!"

"So… your mother and I?" He challenged, whirling on me with eyes full of intrigue. "Are we less married, less connected, because I regenerated?"

I didn't have an answer to that. Instead I kicked the ground irritably and mumbled something unintelligible, unable to meet his eyes. He smirked triumphantly for a moment, before he seemed to register what he had just said. I guessed that the full implications of the situation, of who was being held in the belly of the plane, hadn't really sunk until that moment.

Reaching out, I laid a hand on his arm and smiled gently. "I'm OK, Dad. She won't get to me."

He snorted. "As if she'd stand a chance."

I laughed softly and followed as he continued towards the room where Missy was. He nodded to the UNIT soldiers flanking her. One pulled out another of the guns that had been used to inject us with tranquiliser, shooting something else into Missy's neck. Moments later, she stirred, her eyes flicking open and she looked around in bemusement.

"_Why are you still alive?_" Dad asked softly.

"_You saved me!_"

"_I saved Gallifrey._"

"_Yes, Gallifrey too, I suppose._" Missy admitted. "_There's always collateral damage with you and me._" Her eyes moved past Dad and locked onto mine, a smirk twisting her lips. "_It's our Paris._"

Dad ground his teeth, turning his head to send me a warning look. I clenched my jaw, irritated that he felt the need to do so. "_Gallifrey's lost in another dimension._"

"_Yes and no._"

"_Meaning?_"

"_Yes, it's in another dimension. No, it's not lost._"

"_You know where it is?_" Dad demanded, leaning closer, the spark of hope in his eyes.

"_Yep!_"

I reached out and touched his shoulder. "Dad… don't trust her."

Missy smirked at me. "_You know the best part about knowing? Not telling you!_"

They didn't break eye contact as a voice came over the tannoy, informing Dad that they were ready for him back in the makeshift boardroom in the upper level of the plane.

"_Remember all those years when all you wanted to do was to rule the world?_" He asked, tilting his head slightly as he observed the still restrained woman. Then he smirked and raised his voice so that it would be caught by the microphone connected to the speaker system. "_On my way._"

"_Thank you, Mr President._"

"_Piece of cake._"

Missy looked positively murderous as Dad turned his back on her and walked over to the desk where Osgood was tinkering with something or other. I paused, watching the Time Lady intently. Her eyes were boring into Dad's back, but then she allowed them to slide closed and her head fell back against the headrest of the trolley she was chained to. Something tugged uncomfortably inside me as I took in the picture of complete defeat that I suddenly found myself faced with.

"Evie!" Dad shouted, yanking me out of my thoughts.

"Coming." I almost whispered as Missy's eyes flicked open and locked on mine.

"Ohhh… I was hoping you'd stay and keep me company." She told me, pouting in disappointment.

"Now, Evie." Dad ordered gruffly.

I nodded, turning and heading towards the door. I paused to smile at Osgood who was looking slightly apprehensive at the thought of being left alone with Missy. Without thinking, I reached out and squeezed her forearm reassuringly, before leaving the room and pulling the door closed with a firm clunk.


	218. Third Chances 4

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: **

Mum and I weren't allowed into the secret meeting in the boardroom. The time gave me a chance to speak to Jack and Jessica again, finding out what was going on back on the ground. I wouldn't admit, even to Mum, that I was worried about what Missy returning meant for our daughter. I had expressly ordered Jack not to mention who was behind the events of the day to Jessica, knowing that she would want to play a more active role in what was happening.

"Cybermen are rising from graves and morgues and hospitals… anywhere with dead bodies, really." I told Mum warily as soon as I ended the call. "Jack said it's happening everywhere, not just the UK… the whole world."

"Graves?" She frowned. "But how are they…?"

We looked at each other, wide-eyed. "The rain. Remember what Missy said about pollination?"

"Every single atom of a Cyberman carries the information required to create a new one. That's what they're doing… they're creating an army using the dead."

"But… they need living bodies to convert." I reminded her. "How are they…?"

"Missy…" Mum scowled. "She must have found a way to allow them to convert dead bodies. We're fighting a losing battle."

"Let me speak to her." I suggested. "I can–"

"No!"

"Mum, I can–"

"I said, no." Mum snapped, her eyes blazing. "That's final."

Rolling my eyes, I folded my arms over my chest and leant sulkily against the wall. We stood in resolute silence for a while, until Mum's phone started ringing and she turned away to answer it. Taking advantage of her distraction, I slipped along the corridor and through the door that led down to the holding cells. Breaking into a run, knowing that it would only be moments at most before Mum was on my heels, I headed down the metal stairs that led into the room where Missy was.

As soon as my foot hit the first rung, the plane lurched worriedly to the right and I slipped, sliding down the first third of the ladder before I managed to get a grip. Hastily, trying to ignore the worrying rocking motion of the plane, I descended at record speed before looking around in confusion. At first I thought I was in the wrong room, but then I spotted a solitary figure watching me in amusement.

"What have you done?" I demanded, attempting to stride threateningly towards Missy. Because of the turbulence, however, I stumbled and was forced to grasp the edge of the desk for support. "Where are the UNIT soldiers? Where's Osgood?"

"I saw the way you looked at her." Missy told me, shrugging. "She had to go."

"What are you–? Are you crazy? I wasn't interested in Osgood!" Then I realised what she'd said. "Wait… had to go where?"

Missy sighed and rolled her eyes. "Come on, dear. I haven't sent her on holiday, if that's what you're thinking."

Guilt settled heavily on me as I comprehended that I was, indirectly, responsible for Osgood's death. "You can't just go around killing people because you think I'm looking at them in a certain way!"

"I told you before, Evie; you're mine."

"I'm not yours." I growled lurching forwards, partly propelled by the movement of the plane, and jabbing my finger into her face. "I don't belong to anyone."

"You're my wife." Missy chuckled.

"No!" I snapped. "I married the Master. I didn't marry you!"

"I am the Master."

"You're not! You're…"

"I'm a woman." She pointed out lightly. "Is that the problem?"

I exhaled sharply. "Of course not! Why does everyone keep asking that?"

"Then what is the problem?"

"You!" I shouted, shoving her in the shoulder, unable to bear her knowing grin anymore. "You're the problem! All this… shit! I loved you and I got hurt. I was so, so stupid! I am not going to let that happen again."

"So why are you here… alone?" Missy asked quietly, tilting her head to one side and letting her eyes rake slowly over my face. "Why aren't you hiding behind Mummy and Daddy?"

"I'm not scared of you."

She laughed. "I never thought you were. You've always been brave. My brave little Evie."

"Don't do that."

"What?" She asked innocently.

"That. Don't make fun of me."

"I'm not."

"You are!" I snapped.

She laughed again, reaching out to touch my cheek. I flinched away from her, narrowing my eyes suspiciously. I spotted the expression in her eyes, as though she was hurt by my reaction to her attempt at affection, but it was soon gone.

"Whatever else, I would never make fun of you."

"Why are you doing this? The Cybermen? Why are you helping them?"

Sighing deeply, she shook her head. "Always thinking about business, Ms Song."

"Answer the question."

"Who says I'm helping the Cybermen?" Missy enquired, feigning innocence. "What's to say I'm not doing something completely different; something that you can't even comprehend?"

"Are you?"

She shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not." Then she grinned. "Let's talk more about your life. How's our daughter?"

I flinched again. "My daughter is fine."

"Don't be like that. She's definitely got my eyes."

Moving closer, intending to invade her personal space and warn her to stay away from Jessica, I was knocked off balance by a particularly violent lurch from the plane. The movement sent me stumbling into Missy's arms. She caught me easily, tightening her grip around me as I attempted to regain my balance and escape.

"Well, well, Ms Song." She whispered, so close that I could feel her breath on my face.

My hearts seemed to be making an attempt of their own to escape; thumping so hard against my ribcage that it physically hurt. I could feel the strong, almost magnetic, pull again and was desperate to remove myself from the danger zone. But I couldn't. Instead I found myself staring into Missy's eyes as her face moved closer to mine and then, without making any attempt to stop it, I was kissing her.

"Evie!"

I pushed away from Missy almost as though I'd been burnt, my brain finally kicking in and reminding me that what I was doing was a very bad idea. A hand closed around my wrist and yanked me backwards. I felt myself being embraced tightly in Mum's arms, one hand smoothing through my hair.

"_Oh, she was really scared, it's classic._" Missy was saying and I looked round quickly, thinking she was talking about me. Then I realised that Dad was kneeling on the ground examining a pair of glasses that I recognised as Osgood's. Another wave of guilt washed over me. "_Have you got any more friends I can play with?_"

"Stay away from…" Dad ground out, before his eyes flickered over me. "Stay away from my daughter."

"She came to find me." Missy pointed out innocently, shrugging.

"That's not the point!"

"Then what is your point?"

"Stay away!"

"She's capable of making her own decisions."

"Yes and look where that gets her!"

"I am here, you know!" I snapped, fed up of being talked about rather than talked to. "And let's not pretend that this is about me."

Missy sighed, nodding slowly. "She's right. _Ask me._"

"_Shut up!_"

"_Ask me! Come on, you know you want to. You want to know what my plan is. You'll be surprised. I've got a gift for you._" Missy smiled. "_You know, I've been up and down your timeline, meeting all those silly people who die to keep you alive. And you know what I worked out? What you really need._"

"_For what?_"

"_To know that you are just like me._" She grinned broadly as the TARDIS phone began to ring. "_Oh, and now it begins. Doctor, I do believe you're on call! Miss Oswald expects. Who else but the girl who's got your number?_" Missy chuckled. "_Whoops!_"

"_It was you?_" Dad whispered, staring at the woman with sudden comprehension.

"_Computer helpline, love._" Missy said in a fake accent. "_That's the one; best helpline in the universe!_"

"_You put us together!_"

"_I kept you together._"

"_Why?_"

"'_Cos she's perfect, innit?_" She laughed. "_The control freak and the man who should never be controlled. You'd go to hell if she asked; and she would. The phone's ringing, Doctor, can you hear that? Now that's the sound of your chain being yanked. Heel, Doctor!_" As Dad scrambled to answer the phone, Missy put on a high voice, evidently imitating Clara. "_Help me, Doctor, help me! Help me, Doctor!_"

As we listened to the one-sided conversation, Mum attempted to steer me towards the metal ladder in the corner of the room. I shook my head vigorously, refusing to leave. She narrowed her eyes and scowled at Missy, but I shook my head and help her back as she moved to confront the other Time Lady.

"You think she'd just let us leave?" I hissed in Mum's ear. "No way."

Mum growled softly, realising I was right. We waited in silence as Dad continued his conversation and Missy smirked knowingly. I hated not knowing what was going on. I hated feeling as though we were at her mercy. The turbulence suddenly got stronger and alarms began to blare out around us.

Missy laughed.


	219. Third Chances 5

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: **

I stared blankly at the open hatch that Kate had just disappeared through. Dad was screaming at Missy, telling her that she didn't have to kill the blonde. She peered sideways at me and shrugged, smirking slightly, before holding out her hand to me. Looking at it in confusion, I glanced back up and met her eyes.

"Evie?"

I looked at the hand stretched out in my direction for a moment, before turning my gaze in my parents' direction. They were both sending me furious scowls that were clearly ordering me to move away from Missy and closer to them.

Biting my lip, I shifted my gaze over to the woman once more. I was in turmoil over what to do; every instinct in my body was screaming at me not to trust Missy in the slightest and yet the familiar sensation that overtook me every time I was near the Gallifreyan – either in this regeneration or the last – made me want to stay close. I was tied to her in a way that had nothing to do with Gallifreyan marriage law.

"I'm sorry." I said at last, smiling weakly at my parents.

Then I turned away and took Missy's outstretched hand. I knew they'd be alright. There was no doubt in my mind that they'd find a way out of the situation and I'd see them again before long. If I went with Missy, I might be able to do something to help.

A strange feeling washed over me, unlike anything I'd experienced before. The closest thing I could liken it to was the Vortex Manipulator, but this was an even stranger sensation; almost as though I was being pulled apart until I was nothing more than the basic atoms and then being rebuilt again.

"You'll get used to it, dear." Missy told me once we were on solid ground again, evidently seeing how I was feeling and patting my cheek. The tap was evidently meant to be reassuring, but still harder than it needed to be.

"Where are we?" I asked, ignoring her words and looking around me with interest.

"Don't worry about that. Look at this." Missy sighed, nodding her head towards a screen, projected high above us, which showed Dad falling through the sky. "_Well that's very boring._ _Oh, he's just gonna… squish. What kind of a way is that to die? That man has no finesse, none._"

"_Well, it's quite dramatic._" A male voice on the other side of her pointed out, making me jump. I hadn't noticed him before.

"_You're an AI interface. Kindly delete your opinions, thank you._"

"He's not going to die." I told them firmly.

"Of course he is." Missy argued, rolling her eyes. "Don't be ridiculous."

"_W-What's he doing?_" The man asked, squinting at the screen. "_Is he…? Oh no! Oh, no, no, no! Now that's…_"

I grinned, watching Dad hurtle downwards getting closer and closer to the TARDIS that was a short distance below him. My smile widened as a familiar mop of curly hair leant through the doorway and looked up at him, before disappearing back inside. I had never doubted that my parents would find their way out of the situation.

"_Oh…_" The AI interface shook his head looking impressed. "_Permission to squeeeee!_"

Without blinking, Missy incinerated him, her gaze remaining fixed on the image of Dad above us. As Dad hurtled through the open doors of the TARDIS, I laughed, grinning broadly as the box instantly righted itself, slowing down momentarily, before zooming out of sight.

Turning on me, the Time Lady scowled, holding her incinerating device in my direction. I stared back at her defiantly and, with a snarl of irritation, Missy lowered it and turned away. Grinning, relieved that apparently I seemed to have the same hold over her as she did over me, I followed as she strode away.

"So, where exactly are we?" I tried again.

"It's called the Nethersphere." Missy told me with a sigh. "It's where the minds of the dead come to rest."

I nodded slowly. "So this is where you're creating your army from."

"Maybe."

"Why?"

Missy hesitated and then stopped walking. She turned and frowned. "Why, what?"

"Why are you doing all this?" I asked quietly. "You could… I know you've got history with Dad, but… things could be different. Why do you have to… to create armies and… kill people? Why did you have to kill Kate? What did that accomplish? You said you liked her."

"I'm crazy, dear."

I scowled. "Are you? Or is that just a convenient excuse? I think you're scared."

Missy sighed, rolling her eyes. "Don't try to analyse me. I enjoy all this; the plotting, the senseless killing… it's my thing!"

"So why haven't you killed me?" I demanded. Taking a couple of steps backwards, I opened my arms and fixed her with a hard stare. "Go on, kill me now if you enjoy it so much."

"I don't think I will." She replied obstinately. "I can't be bothered."

I smiled. "See, I think you're jealous of Dad."

"What?"

"I think you're jealous. It might not be conventional, but Dad has a family. You don't and I think you're jealous."

"Of course." She rolled her eyes. "That's it. I'm jealous that I'm not part of your perfect little family."

"We're not perfect."

"Well, no." Missy agreed. "Because perfect families don't keep huge secrets from each other." She clapped her hand over her mouth and widened her eyes, feigning shock. "But I shouldn't have said that."

I scowled. "What are you talking about?"

"Maybe you're right… maybe family does fill me with a warm fuzzy feeling."

"Missy!"

"Why do you think I worked so hard to keep the Doctor and Clara together, hmm?" Missy asked me, smirking broadly. I frowned, hating the feeling that she was playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse with me. "Have you never thought about the girl? There's something about her, isn't there? Something that's always raised your suspicions. Something you couldn't put your finger on."

I shrugged. "I've never thought about it. Everyone Dad takes with him is special; there's always something that draws him to them and them to him."

"But there's something more about Clara, isn't there?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"You've noticed it."

I sighed. "No, I haven't. I barely know Clara. I've met her a couple of times and, let's face it, we didn't really have time for small talk." Missy clearly didn't believe me and her knowing smile was starting to rile me up. "What? What is it? If you're so clever and you've discovered something I haven't then, please, enlighten me."

"Does Clara remind you of someone? Someone you know very, very well?" I stared blankly at her and her smile widened. "Those eyes…. They could almost belong to Jessica, don't you think?"

"What…?" My hearts seemed to stop as my eyes roved over Missy's face, wondering what on earth she was playing at. My brain couldn't seem to catch up to what I was hearing.

"Clara Oswald; the impossible girl. There's something unusual about her and you know exactly what it is."

"Missy… spit it out. What are you trying to tell me?"

"Clara is half-Gallifreyan."

"What? How?"

"Clara is Jessica's daughter."

My mouth dropped open. "What?!"

"Our daughter is more like me than you think. She's not the maternal type at all. A child would just have got in the way." Missy almost sing-songed, watching me carefully to gage my reaction. I was too stunned to take in any of it. "So, I was only doing the responsible thing. I was making sure lovely little Clara ended up with her family."

"Why are you lying to me?"

"I'm not."

"I don't believe you."

For the first time, Missy looked at me with genuine emotion in her eyes. "I'm not lying to you."

"Why should I trust you?" I asked, genuinely pondering the question. Everything inside me was screaming at me that there was no reason, and never would be, to trust the woman in front of me. But still I couldn't shake the intense longing to find a reason to do just that. "Give me a reason."

There was a long pause before Missy shook her head, looking uncharacteristically melancholy. "I can't."

"OK."

"What?" Missy was clearly confused by my response.

"OK." I repeated. "You could have given me some great speech about why I should trust you. You could have lied to me and told me everything that I want to hear, but you didn't. You told me the truth."

"So...?"

"I don't trust you; it's going to take a long time before that happens. Maybe it'll never happen. But I believe you."

Missy still looked confused. Perhaps she thought this was part of some plan to trick her, or maybe she thought I was mocking her. "Why?"

Frowning, I tried to put my feelings into a coherent sentence. "I... Don't you feel it? That pull inside you? Pulling us together? I knew, deep down, that you weren't gone. I could feel it. Then... then when Dad told us you were here I felt... I felt like I could let out a breath I've been holding for a very long time. Or like I'd found a part of me that..."

"That was missing?" Missy finished for me. "Like... a soulmate." She snorted with amusement. "Really?"

I glared at her, reaching out and swatting at her arm with the back of my hand. "Don't laugh at me! I know you feel the same... I can tell."

"I don't."

I shrugged, keeping my face neutral and turned away. "Fine."

Missy grabbed my arm, wrapping her hand around my wrist and pulling me back. "Evie…"

Yanking myself free, I glared at her. "It's fine. I know you're itching to go and face Dad, so let's just get it over and done with, shall we?"

* * *

><p><strong><em>Sorry for the delay, but I fell down the stairs and I've broken my wrist! Added to that its my birthday tomorrow and things have been mental at work as its the run up to Christmas! Anyway, that's my excuses over!<em>**

**_Hope you enjoyed it!_**

**_x_**


	220. Third Chances 6

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: **

We arrived in a graveyard a short while later. My skin felt as though it was crawling after being in such close proximity to Missy as we made our theatrical descent. My mind was racing, turning over what she'd told me about Clara and Jessica and I had no idea what to believe. I didn't want to think that it was possible, but I couldn't deny that Missy had gone to a tremendous amount of trouble to get Clara into the Doctor's life and keep her there. But then that meant that Jessica, my own daughter, had kept a huge secret from me.

"Evie!"

I pulled away from Missy and threw myself into Mum's arms, burying myself deep into her embrace. There was no mention of me leaving them on the plane and I knew that my behaviour was forgiven. No doubt Mum was thinking about how she would have acted in my place.

"_Oh, that was brilliant!_" Missy called, reminding us of her presence. "_I love the telly here, but did you see that? Oh, Clara, you poor thing. You must feel like death. Let me pop away the pain._"

"No!" I shouted as she started fiddling with her incinerating device, unable to believe that she would actually harm the young woman who, she had only just informed me, was her granddaughter.

"_Don't you dare!_" Dad ordered, beating me over to her, pulling the handset off her and throwing it to the ground. "_Don't you think about it!_"

"_Oh, sorry, hon. I'm just getting a bit carried away._" She apologised insincerely. "_It's your friends; they're so moreish. Hmmm? Oh, stop looking all cross-pants. I'm here to give you a gift, could you at least try and be excited?_"

"_What gift?_"

We watched as she ordered the Cybermen into various positions, proving that she had complete control over the metal creatures. It was frightening just how easily she was able to command them to do what she wanted. I shuddered, watching the show.

"_You see, Doctor, the power to slaughter whole worlds at a time, then make them do a safety briefing._" Missy said, not a hint of amusement or irony on her face. "_Everyone who ever lived – man, woman and child – is now at my command… an indestructible army to rage across the universe. The more they kill, the more they recruit._" She smiled. "_Happy birthday._" When Dad just stared at her, completely nonplussed, she sighed. "_Oh! You didn't know, did you? It's lucky one of us remembers these things._"

"It's his birthday?" I muttered, shooting Mum a look. She shrugged, looking irritated.

"_Happy birthday… Mr President._"

Giving him a theatrical curtsey, Missy stepped backwards as the Cybermen turned to Dad, calling his name. I scowled and moved, as though I could do something about the situation. Mum tightened her grip on my waist, keeping me at her side.

"_Tiny bit pleased?_" Missy asked. "_Oh, go on… crack a smile. I want to see if your eyebrows drop off._"

Dad swallowed thickly. "_All of this… all of it… just to give me an army?_"

"_Well I don't need one, do I? Armies are for people who think they're right and nobody thinks they're righter than you!_" Dad tried to take the wrist band off, but Missy stopped him. "_Give a good man firepower and he'll never run out of people to kill._"

"_I don't want an army!_"

"_Well, that's the trouble! Yes, you do! You've always wanted one. All those people suffering in the Dalek camps? Now you can save them! All those bad guys winning all the wars? Go and get the good guys back!_"

"_Nobody can have that power._"

"_You will, because you don't have a choice. There's only one way you can stop these clouds from opening up and killing all your little pets down here. Conquer the universe, Mr President._" Missy challenged him. "_Show a bad girl how it's done._"

I squirmed slightly, causing Mum to glare at me. "Stop it!"

"Stop what?"

"Seeing her like that is turning you on, isn't it?" Mum accused me.

"Everyone likes a bad girl." I muttered uncomfortably, blushing. "Just… don't."

"_Why are you doing this?_" Dad shouted, thankfully dragging our attention back to the pair in front of us.

"_I need you to know we're not so different!_" My heart clenched at the sincerity I heard in Missy's tone. "_I need my friend back. Every battle, every war, every invasion… from now on you decide the outcome. What's the matter, Mr President? Don't you trust yourself?_"

We watched as Dad looked around, wracked with indecision and worry. There was nothing we could say or do to help him; this was a question he had to answer on his own. Instead, I watched Clara. She was clinging to a Cyberman desperately, as though letting go would be the worst thing she could do. I was slightly concerned, but seeing as neither of my parents were making any move to separate them, I supposed that it was something that I would be told about later.

My attention switched towards Missy, watching her watch the Doctor. She seemed agitated, almost desperate as she waited for his next move. Trying to understand her was making my head hurt. I wanted to believe that she genuinely wanted her friend back; that she wanted people around her. I tried to tell myself that Missy had changed when she regenerated. But I knew that this was probably all just a game to her.

"_Thank you!_" Dad exclaimed suddenly, rushing towards Missy with a broad smile on his face. "_Thank you so much!_" He knelt down in front of her, taking her face in his hands and kissing her gently. Both Mum and I made disgruntled sounds, both of us twitching slightly before stopping ourselves moving forwards. "_I really didn't know, I wasn't sure. You lose sight sometimes. Thank you! I am not a good man!_" He grinned, almost laughing at Missy's evident confusion. "_And I'm not a bad man. I am not a hero and I'm definitely not a president. And no, I'm not an officer. Do you know what I am? I am an idiot… with a box and a screwdriver. Just passing through… helping out… learning. I don't need an army, I never have, because I've got them… always them._" He grinned at Mum and me, sending us a wink. "_Because love, it's not an emotion… love is a promise._" Dad paused as the Cyberman put his arm around Clara, holding her close. "_And he will never hurt her. PE, catch!_"

"Who's PE?" I muttered in confusion, watching as Dad launched the wristband Missy had given him through the air.

"Danny." Mum said, as though it was obvious. I was still clueless as the Cyberman with Clara caught the band deftly.

"_You didn't notice, did you?_" Dad asked Missy. "_While you were doing all your silly orders, while you were showing off, the one soldier not obeying._"

"_No… that's wrong. That's impossible!_"

The Cyberman pulled away from Clara, putting the wristband on and moving towards where Dad and Missy were standing. "_The rain will not fall._" He promised.

"_Oh, why won't it?_"

"_The clouds will burn._"

"_And who'll burn them?_"

"_I will burn them._"

"_How?_"

"_I will burn._"

Missy arched an eyebrow. "_One burning Cyberman is hardly going to save the planet._"

"_Correct._" The metal creature agreed. He turned and walked away from his creator, heading out into the cemetery, before raising his forearm to his mouth. "_Attention! This is not a good day. This is Earth's darkest hour and look at you miserable lot! We are the fallen, but today we shall rise. The army of the dead will save the land of the living. This is not the order of a general… nor the whim of a lunatic._"

"_Excuse me?_" Missy shouted, offended by his description of her.

While the Cyberman had been talking, we had all walked to stand in a line behind him. Clara, then the Doctor, then Mum, then me and then Missy. Whether Mum was too distracted by the situation, or whether she was just too distracted to realise who was beside me, I wasn't sure. Either way, I was glad to be standing beside the one person who was able to cause such confusion in me.

Glancing sideways, I caught Missy's eye and sent her a small smile. There was a pause and then my look was returned. Surreptitiously I reached out and allowed my hand to touch hers. For a moment they just rested side-by-side between us. Then Missy shifted slightly, so that her little finger entwined with mine.

"_This is a promise!_" The Cyberman roared as I allowed a small smile to twist my lips. "_The promise of a soldier!_" He turned to face us, his attention directed at Clara. "_You will sleep safe tonight._"

He rose, along with all the other Cybermen gathered around, into the air. We watched as they flew upwards into the clouds. There was an explosion high above us, fire rippling through the clouds and clearing them almost instantly, leaving the sky clear and blue.


	221. Third Chances 7

**Evie's TARDIS Diary: **

"_Well… the clouds have all gone._" Clara pointed out unnecessarily.

"_Yes,_" Dad agreed, "_burned up. Totally burnt… burnt to nothing._" He turned to the young woman as she looked down sadly. "_Sorry…_"

"_10-0-11-00 by 02._" Missy muttered beside me. As all eyes turned to her, she dropped my hand. I shivered slightly at the loss of contact.

"_What did you say?_"

"_The current coordinates of Gallifrey. It's returned to its original location. Didn't you ever think to look?_"

"_You are lying!_"

"_We can… we can go together._" She suggested, almost desperately. "_Just you and me, just like the old days._"

"_You'd be clapped in irons._"

"_If you like._"

"_Doctor, I'm assuming you'll remember those coordinates?_" Clara asked, holding the incinerating device out towards Missy.

Before I could say anything, Dad stepped in front of the woman, holding his hand out. "_No. No, don't you dare. I won't let you._"

"_Old friend, is she?_"

"Daughter-in-law, actually…" Dad muttered, catching my eye.

Clara frowned at me for a split second, before shrugging. "_If you have ever let this creature live, everything that happened today is on you. All of it… on you. And you're not going to let her live again._"

I opened my mouth, but Mum grasped my arm, shaking her head and pulling my closer to her. "Don't."

"_Clara… all I'm doing is not letting you kill her. I never said I was letting her live._"

"_Really?_"

"_If that's the only thing that will stop you, yes._"

My heart was in my mouth as I waited to see what would happen. As Clara lowered the device, looking away and holding it out to Dad, I breathed a sigh of relief. Mum's grip on me loosened and I glanced towards Missy, who was just staring blankly at the scene in front of her.

"_Seriously? Oh… Doctor… to save her soul? But who, my dear, will save yours?_"

My head whipped up at the sound of Missy's voice. I narrowed my eyes as I realised that Dad was aiming the weapon at her, his face drawn into a determined frown. He raised a hand and rubbed his jaw, his mind obvious working overtime as he tried to work out what to do.

"_Say something nice._"

Unwilling to take any chances that Dad would reconsider, I drew my laser blaster and stepped away from Mum as she tried to make a grab for me. "Don't."

"Evie…"

"Don't you dare." I threatened, ignoring Dad's plea. "I won't let you do this."

"Evie, don't be stupid!" Mum snapped furiously. Her eyes widened as I turned the gun on her. "What are you doing? She's playing with you. Whatever she said–"

"This has nothing to do with anything that Missy's said!" I exploded, all of my pent up frustrations and emotions bursting out of me. "This is about me! She's my wife and if anyone's going to kill her it'll be me… again."

"Thank you, dear, but–"

"Shut up!" I screamed, turning to look at the woman in question. "I hate you! I really, really hate you, but… you're part of me and without you there's always something missing. I... I love you." I let out a small scream of infuriation. "You have no idea how hard it is for me to admit that and how much I hate it, but it's true and I… I'm so angry!"

"Evie…" Dad stepped forwards, his free hand reaching out to me.

I pointed the gun at him, my tone threatening. "Put it down."

There was a pause and then he shook his head. Looking past me, he met Missy's eyes. "_You win._"

She smiled sadly. "_I know._"

My finger twitched on the trigger of my laser blaster as Dad aimed the incineration device with a determined look on his face but, before he could do anything, a flash of blue shot past me from somewhere behind him. I screamed, dropping my gun and whirling on the spot. I was too late to see what happened, but Missy was gone.

"No!" I screamed, falling to my knees and bowing my head. "No, no, no!"

"Baby… Evie…" Mum knelt beside me, pulling me into her arms and cradling my head. "Sweetie, I'm sorry, I–"

"You're not." I spat, pushing her away. "You're relieved."

"I'm glad she's gone." Mum admitted. "But I never want to see you hurt."

My face crumpled and I burst into hot, angry tears. I allowed Mum to hold me tightly, rocking me gently and rubbing soothing patterns on my back. She whispered nonsense into my hair as she always did when I was upset, but it didn't seem to be making any difference to my pain.

"Where is he?" I choked out, catching Mum's comment about it not being anyone's fault. "Where's the Doctor?"

"Evie, it's not his–"

"It is his fault." I snapped, climbing to my feet and looking furiously around. "It's all his fault. Everything about it is his fault."

Mum followed me as I wound my way through the gravestones in search of Dad and Clara. We found them crouched beside a body, splayed out on the grass; unconscious, but obviously alive. A tiny spark of happiness ignited in me as Kate Stewart's eyelids fluttered as she slowly woke up, but the rest of me was still a seething mass of fury.

"I blame you." I told the Doctor in a cold voice. "This is on you."

Turning, I began to stalk away. Moments later, footsteps beside me alerted me to Mum's presence and her hand slipped into mine. Seconds later we were standing in our living room. Wordlessly I climbed the stairs and shut myself in my bedroom, my mind swimming with everything that had happened since I'd last been in there.

Intending to drop onto my bed, my eyes fell on a scrap of paper on my pillow and what looked suspiciously like my Vortex Manipulator beside it. Instinctively my hand moved to my wrist and I realised that the device wasn't in its usual spot.

Snatching up the paper, my eyes moved over the words hungrily.

**Evie,**

**I'm sorry. Thank you.**

**Missy **

**P.S. I lied when I said I don't.**

I frowned, re-reading the postscript several times. For a moment I couldn't work out what she meant. The rest of it made sense; she was sorry she'd stolen the Vortex Manipulator and she was thanking me for trying to save her. But I couldn't get my head around when the addition at the end meant.

And then it hit me. She felt the same about me as I did about her.

Sighing, I collapsed onto my bed, still staring at the fourteen words written on the scrap of paper. They made everything so much more complicated and yet so much simpler at the same time. I shook my head and smirked.

"Bitch."


	222. Is this the Real Life?

**Evie****'****s TARDIS Diary: Is this the Real Life?**

Age: 22

Location: Chiswick, London, England, Earth

Date: Monday October 14th 2019

* * *

><p>"So, the first thing you need to do is bring a bag of potatoes in from the store room." The plump, disinterested middle aged woman informed me as we wandered through the large kitchen towards a reinforced door at the opposite end of the room from the large cookers. She yanked the handle and dragged the door open, ushering me inside. "The sacks are over in that corner beside the tins of vegetables."<p>

"So I've got to carry a whole sack?" I asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yes." Janet replied shortly, pushing her hands into the pockets of her lilac tunic and not making any attempt to help as I grasped the paper sack with both hands and started to heave it across the floor.

Half-carrying, half-dragging it through the kitchen, she led me towards a large machine in the corner. It closely resembled the automated valve capacitor on board the TARDIS but it was, my supervisor revealed with a bored sigh, a potato rumbler. After a brief explanation of how the device worked, Janet wandered away and left me to get on with rumbling the entire sackful of potatoes.

After Mum had ordered Jenny and I back to Nan and Gramps' house to see what real life was like, Nan had made it her mission to force us to have a totally authentic human experience. She had managed to secure Jenny a job in a shop on the high street which, amazingly, she was still employed in. I had only lasted a week as a dental receptionist before being asked to leave; the reason cited as an inability to remember that the customer is always right.

Then, after some persuasion and, what could only be described as blackmail, Nan had convinced her friend Sharon from the bingo to give me a job in the kitchens at the Residential Care Home she ran. So far, though, my first day was turning out to be less than interesting.

Janet, the kitchen supervisor, was the strong, silent type. On being presented to her by Sharon at the beginning of the morning shift, she had merely sniffed and commented that she hoped I was less trouble than the usual shower of shit that was sent to her. Then she had ordered my to tie my hair up and remove my jewellery. I thought better than to argue, knowing that Nan would go mad if I lost this job within the first ten minutes.

"So, Evie, you're twenty-two?" Another of the kitchen assistants asked, appearing beside me and leaning against the metal counter that ran around the perimeter of the room. She was about the same age as Janet, possibly a little older, but had a much kinder face.

"I am." I agreed, pushing another couple of potatoes roughly into the rumbler.

Obviously mistaking my reticence for fear of what the supervisor might say if she caught me chatting, the woman smiled. "Don't worry about Janet. Her bark is worse than her bite. She's really alright when you get to know her." When I shot her a disbelieving look, she laughed. "I'm Maureen Blake… Mo."

"Evie Song."

"That's a pretty name." Mo commented, smiling brightly. Then she frowned lightly. "It's odd. I never knew Sylvia had an older daughter." She shrugged. "Then again, I never knew Donna had a daughter, either."

"You know my Nan?" I asked warily, wondering whether she had been sent to spy on me.

Mo shrugged. "A little; we were at school together. I suppose that's why I didn't know… I haven't really seen her since we were sixteen. Although… I did hear a rumour… were you expelled from Chiswick High a few years back for blowing up a science lab?"

"I might have been." I admitted reluctantly. "Nan was not impressed."

She laughed. As the potato rumbler started making a strange grinding sound, Mo stepped forward. "Here… the old thing gets a bit temperamental sometimes."

I grinned, unable to resist. "What? The machine or my Nan?"

x-x

"How was your first day?" Nan asked the second I walked through the front door and hung my jacket on a peg.

With a shrug I moved past her into the living room and settled myself beside Jenny on the sofa, pushing her legs off the cushions so I could sit down. I didn't answer the question, much to Nan's frustration, causing her to move across the room and position herself in front of the television. Jenny complained loudly, reaching across and swatting me with the back of her hand until I answered.

"It was fine."

"Did you do anything?"

"Like what? Poison someone?" I demanded, slightly affronted.

"I wouldn't put it past you, young lady." Nan sniffed.

"No, I didn't." I assured her. "I didn't poison anyone, I didn't break anything and I wasn't rude to anyone."

"Good."

"What's for dinner?" I asked, sending a glare sideways at Jenny who had only just stopped swiping at my arm. "I'm starving."

"Donna and the kids are coming round for their tea, so we're having cottage pie and veg."

"Mum's coming over?" Jenny asked, looking up, suddenly interested. "I thought she was caught up at work?"

Nan shrugged, already halfway to the kitchen. "I don't know. All I know is that she phoned earlier and said she'd be over. There was no mention of Jack. Evie, come and get your grandfather's tea."

Slipping off the sofa, I padded towards the sound of her voice, squeezing Gramps' shoulder as I passed his chair and receiving a fond pat on my hand in return. Ignoring Nan's pointed remarks as she poured out the tea, I hoisted myself onto the counter and swung my legs backwards and forwards. As soon as the three mugs were ready, I grabbed them and escaped back to the living room, rolling my eyes at Jenny as I handed over her drink.

"So how was it, really?" Jenny asked, arching an eyebrow.

"My supervisor makes the Judoon look cheerful."

She laughed. "Any hotties?"

"You've got a one-track mind, Jenny Noble." I nudged her in the ribs, narrowing my eyes and nodding my head towards where Gramps was nodding off to sleep in his chair. "Besides, I've got Tom."

"Ah, yes. The wonderful Tom." She teased me, fluttering her eyelashes. "When he's not too busy with University and essays, that is."

"Hey!" I pouted. "He's taking me out on Friday, actually."

"Course he is."

"He is!"

"Jennifer Noble!" We both stopped immediately at the shrill tone of Donna's voice as she threw open the living room door and appeared over the threshold. "Anything you want to tell me?"

Jenny looked as though she had no idea what her mother could possibly be talking about. "Ummm…"

"Veena was passing The Body Shop on her way to Gap - where she bought one of the most hideous tops I've ever seen, by the way - when she saw you flirting with some guy."

"Is that a crime? I flirt with most of the men that come in… it makes them spend more." She defended herself. "It's a legitimate sales technique!"

Donna narrowed her eyes. "But do you spend your lunch break snogging most of them outside McDonalds?"

Flushing bright red, Jenny's eyes widened. "I… it wasn't…"

I cackled at her discomfort. "Oh my god! What's his name? I want details."

"Did you come and spy on me?" The blonde demanded, completely ignoring me and rounding on her mother.

"Of course not." Donna wrinkled her nose and snorted at the accusation. "She met Elaine at Starbucks, but then they decided to go to Nandos. They both saw you when they walked past and texted me to say."

"They should mind their own business…" Jenny muttered.

"Sam and Paul saw you on the way to do their food shop at M&S, too." Her mother added unhelpfully. "And Georgie saw you on her way to work. And Bernie was taking her Lauren to Specsavers and-"

"You have too many friends…"

"I still want details." I interjected unhelpfully.

"I hate you."

I grinned at her. "No you don't."

"I want details, too." Donna said firmly, placing herself between Jenny and I on the sofa and making herself comfortable. "And you know I'll find out, so you might as well tell me yourself."


End file.
